Titanic
by Castaway5
Summary: Caught up in a new adventure, Ben and Ned find themselves stowaways aboard the new ship; Titanic. But what started as a simple transit from Southampton to New York takes a turn into disaster. Now the Castaways aren't even sure they'll survive the night!
1. Chapter 1

Welcome to Titanic. A ship of dreams and mystery. (I'M DONE I'M DONE I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M DONE!) This story took four months of hard work write and another month of research to get even that far. (FOUR MONTHS! THAT'S A LOT OF MATH CLASSES!) This story is done, I am currently typing it and posting which will probably take months. (AKA THIS STORY WILL BE FINISHED!)

Also I would love to thank Nirin Tani for being an awesome beta, she really helped a lot!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Castaways, or a certain someone. But if I did I...

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Titanic

Part One ~ The Ship of Dreams

April 10th 1912

Chapter One:

Ben wondered how he and Ned were going to get onto the ship. There it sat, what must have been the largest ship the pair of them had seen. Made by the White Star Line, she towered over all others. The name _Titanic_ was stamped across the bow of the ship. He could see the minute forms of sailors as they paused in their duties to look over the edge and at the people on the wharf below them.

The pair stood in the doorway of a small post office whose wood had been scared from years of initial carving. A lad with unruly blond hair and blue eyes, Ben was clad in commoner's clothes, but with a cut down coat. People passing by didn't look twice at him; he could easily pass as a deck hand. Which he was trying to do.

Even the Labrador at his side with black sleek hair had a slightly nautical look about him, instead of a collar he wore a faded blue scarf knotted firmly around his neck. Leaning against the wooden doorpost, Ben sighed a mock sigh as he thought, "_What a pity that we can't afford a ticket for such a fine ship_."

Ned snorted at his friends wit and sent out his own thought. "_Yes, because money's always stopped us before_."

"_The only question_," thought Ben, "_Is how to distract the ticket guard_."

The line of passengers leading onto the Titanic was dwindling and black smoke was already flowing from the ship's four smoke stacks. It wouldn't be long until she set sail. A crowd was already gathering with the clear intent of give the passengers a good send off.

"_We better get going before the crowd gets too thick_." Thought Ben so as not to attract attention by talking to himself. Pushing off from the post office Ben turned a corner and mounted some steps leading up to the boarding docks.

Ned trotted next to him and asked, "_Do we have a plan_?"

"_Nope_"

The dog's tail wagged in anticipation. Ben couldn't help but share in the mood. Both had felt drawn to the majestic ship upon entering the city of South Hampton two days ago.

As the feeling grew stronger with each step, Ben took a deep breath of the crisp April air. He could smell the smoke from the ship as well as the heavy perfume of the lady in front of him and the cigar somewhere behind. Not for the first time in the last decade did Ben wonder how Ned's enhanced dog's nose handled these smells.

"_Since we're about sixty seconds away we might want to think up a plan_."

"_Now_ would _be a good time_." Agreed Ben.

"_Maybe I could run past him and you could chase me. Then we could both hide_."

"_Or maybe we could ask nicely_." Ben inspected the stern faced ticket master, who was checking each ticket with precise care. "_Not a chance_." They both thought at the same time.

At that moment someone pushed past Ben shoving him aside. Ben caught his balance against the railing and slipped his hand into Ned's scarf; anticipating his dog's next move. "_Ned, don't move_!" thought Ben urgently. "If you react now they'll only throw us off the property!" Ned was growling and his hackles were up, but he stayed still for the most part.

The person who had shoved him was panting heavily and waving his arms at the ticket master. He was large and sweat dripped from his chin. "Missed…the carriage. Family…coming. First class." He was bent over, hands on knees when his family arrived. A lady appeared first, followed by what must have been her two sons.

"Out of der way third class!" Snarled the younger of the two, even though he only looked a little older then Ben. He recoiled quickly though when Ned snapped viciously at him. He pushed his older brother in front of him, cling to the back of his shirt. The older boy calmly pried the fingers off of himself and shoved his brother away. He looked coolly down at Ned as if daring him to try any thing.

The boy's parents were completing ignoring their son's antics as they flashed their tickets. The master nodded and the family entered without another word. Before the shadows of the ship concealed them from view, the younger son turned and shot Ned a hate filled glance. Then he was gone.

"_That was… brief, "_ thought Ben before turning his attention to the people around him. They were backing away nervously from Ned, as if afraid the dog might attack them.

The ticket master snapped his fingers and pointed to a ruddy looking man who was standing next to Ben. The man had a slightly yellowed completion brought on only by heavy drinking. "Control your dog sir or it won't be going on the ship!"

The man's eyes were out of focus and he pointed to himself when he spoke. "But lookie here mister, that's not…" The master cut him off. Moving his still upright finger he now pointed his finger at Ben and barked out, "You, deckhand! Take that cur to the kennels and report back here!"

Not even beginning to believe his luck, he saluted and pretended to drag Ned onto the gangplank. Before he could express his good fortune to Ned by process of thought, his eyes swept the crowd below him as he pasted over there heads. His heart sped as his eyes picked out a single individual.

A tall young lady with dark hair who looked to be in her late twenties was standing in the middle of the farewell crowd. A man in a black hat was holding her hand and in the other she cradled a baby close to her chest.

In the slip second it took for Ben to take one more step the girl looked up and made eye contact. Brown eyes met blue, and then he was gone.

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OK, as a rule, I don't talk about characters from the other books with the exception of Serifina. It doesn't make sense for Ben and Ned to be thinking about people just from the stories we've heard when they gone through the same thing with hundreds of different people over the centuries. No, Amy is not on the ship (Yes, that was Amy), I only put in so I would have a reason to write about some Eternal angst in the next chapter.** Please Review!**


	2. Chapter 2

Here's Chapter 2! Sorry for the wait, but my awesome Beta, Nirin Tani, has been bouncing ideas around so I might have to rethink the story at bit. Happy Memorial Weekend!

Thanks to ForbiddenFruitOfEC and to soccerlovr18 for reviewing!

**Disclaimer **It should be illegal to own stuff. Yeah.

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Titanic

Chapter 2

Ben blinked as his eyes adjusted to the dim light. They were in a long corridor lit by small yellow light fixtures. The family who had entered before them were already gone; they were completely alone.

Silently they moved down the hall and moved left. After a few turns Ben sat down on a small staircase that lined a wall. He closed his eyes and thought, "_Was that who I thought it was_?"

"_Yes but I don't think she saw me_."

"_It's been so long since I've even thought about … do you think she's a passenger_?"

"_She'd be getting on if she were_." Ned's thoughts were laced with sadness.

Not for the first time did Ben regret being eternally young. Leaving friends and places alike. It was even worse seeing the people you knew grow up and age. Though no pain was as great as…

Pushing back the memories that were threatening to rise in his mind, he stood and took a good look around at his surroundings for the first time. The hallway was plain and steel made. Clearly it was for the crew and not the cruisers. It wasn't like any ship Ben had ever been on.

"_Who would of thought a metal ship this size would float_?" commented Ned, trying half heartily to change the subject. "_I wouldn't_."

"_The times are certainly changing_." They sat silently for a moment, both thinking sad thoughts. Finally Ben stood up. "Come on. Let's see if we can get some fresh air. I'm sure this girl's gonna take off soon."

Together they mounted the steel stairwell. After only two stories of climbing they reached an open door, a gateway of light against the dimly lit interior.

The boy and dog emerged from the crew's hold and crossed to the harbor side railing. Neither of them wanted to look off the side into the crowd below, even at crow's nest height. Instead they gazed out at the gray waters that were reflecting the color of the sky above,and the seabirds wheeling overhead.

The wind blew sudden cold blast whistling as it did so. Ben closed his eyes as he felt a calm envelope his soul. With the prospect of a new adventure it was impossible to stay down for long, as least for now. He and Ned were back at sea and at the moment, he felt invincible.

Ben grinned down at Ned as he felt the ship vibrating gently. They were beginning to move. A cheer sounded from the other side of the deck as the spectators saw the massive ship inch forward. Passengers lined the railings and waved to the people below, some even blew kisses to the excited crowd. Hardly anyone was on their side of the ship. Laughter and music drifted to them as the ship moved on.

Still grinning, Ben said aloud, "Sounds as if they're following the ship."

Ned didn't answer. He was staring intently at the opposite side of the harbor wall.

"Ned? Did you hear me what's the matter?"

The boy turned his head towards where his dog was looking. There, moored on the opposite side were two ships, both much smaller than the one they were on. He could just make out the names _Olympic_ and the _New York_ stamped across their sides in bright yellow paint. The ropes of the _New York _however were straining, as if trying to break free from her hold.

"_The water displacement is causing her to buck. She'll break free in a minute_." Thought Ned. He was right. Less than sixty seconds later there was an ear splitting CRACK, like cannon ball snapping off a main mast. For a moment the Eternal found himself on a familiar deck dodging chain shot before blinking. Quickly he pulled himself back into reality.

Looking down onto the scene below they could the New York had broken free, ant size figures falling over with the following the jolt, and one end was slowly turning towards the _Titanic_. "_If that hits us, our journey might be over before it begins_." Commented Ned.

Ben was slightly taken aback by Ned's calmness, though really there wasn't anything they could do about the situation. People were now drifting from one side of the ship to the other in search of something new to look at. "_They won't have to look far_." Thought Ben.

Suddenly the _Titanic's_ port propeller gave a sudden surge causing the _New York_ to miss their ship by mere feet. Ben let out a sigh of relief. He hadn't realized that he had been holding his breath. Tugboats were heading for the smaller ship to make sure it didn't drift back in the mightier ship's way. Seaman were now adding more rope to the _Olympic_ so as the same thing wouldn't happen twice.

Ben and Ned watched for a while as the smaller ship passed by. The _Titanic _slowly pulled out of the harbor and people, now bored with the scenery, started to go below.

Ned looked up at his friend and said, "_Ben, I'm hungry_."

Ben gave his dog a bemused look and asked, "_When are you ever not hungry_?"

"_Nearly abandoning ship always makes me hungry. Surely you must know that by now_? _The number of times we've had to do before in the past_."

Ben couldn't argue. His own stomach was rumbling. "_Alright, let's go down below and see if we can't scrape up some food_."

"_Hun, I think I'll have my food on a golden plate. I am a first class dog you know_."

Together the pair crossed the deck, which must of been at least twice as large width wise as any ship they had even been on, to try and find an entrance. "There has to be one around here somewhere." Said Ben more to himself than to Ned. A gruff looking seaman had shut the door they had come out of as they had walked closer.

"_There's one_." Said Ned pointing to a descended dome of glass with his nose.

Ben could see it; ornate carving and stain glass glinted as light reflected off of it. As Ben and Ned approached an opening at the base, a man blocked their path. "First class only." He said, standing squarely in front of them, arms crossed firmly across his chest.

Ned growled but the bouncer ignored him. Ben, sensing the Labrador might get slightly carried away, decided to intervene. "Sir, which way do we get in?"

The man jerked his thumb towards a dark doorway twenty feet away. Without a word Eternal pair left. As they entered the small anteroom to the public stairway, Ben caught Ned's next thought. "_Isn't anyone frightened of me anymore_? _Just a little_? _Is it so much to ask for a flinch_? _That's twice in one day_!"

Ben scratched his dog's ear briefly before starting down the steps. "_Course they are shipmate_! _That man was just doing his job_. _Besides, I don't think your going to have to scare many people on this trip_.

"_It's still nice to know you can_." Sniffed Ned. They reached the bottom of the first flight and started on another one.

Suddenly the lights flickered and Ben blinked. When he opened his eyes, he was in what could only be explained as a living nightmare.

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Ah, a cliff hanger. (**evil laugh**)

For information, the event with the New York really did happen. Don't forget to **REVIEW!**

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	3. Chapter 3

Ugh, two weeks since I last updated. I suppose that's because of the lack of reviews. Seriously, none? I'm not sure that's ever happened to me before. And to think I told myself I'd never hold my stories hostage for reviews! Now that's not lookin like a bad idea.

P.S, Yesterday was my birthday! I turned **16**!

**Disclaimer** If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? If I write a disclaimer and no one reads it, does it count?

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Titanic

Chapter 3

Ben stood still, too stunned to move. Ned had disappeared and he could hear screaming from above. The floor tilted crazily causing Ben to fall to his knees. Water rushed in from the top of the staircase, pouring down like a small waterfall as well as rising from below. Within seconds he soaked completely through.

It felt as if a thousand knives had pierced his skin. Not even the waters off the coast of Tierra del Fuego had been this cold and even then he had been only half conscious at the time.

Objects floated by him as the water rose. Ben closed his eyes and tried to fight against the cold enveloping his mind. The barely lit lights of the Titanic dimmed even further to a soft glow, then when out. Ned, the only living being that could ever understand everything he had gone through during the centuries, was gone. Ben had rarely felt so alone.

Suddenly the lights flashed on and he realized that Ned was beside him. The stairwell was just as warm and inviting as it had before he had traveled, if indeed that was what he had done.

He wasn't surprised to find himself on the floor although he had no memory of falling. He felt his arms and clothes but they were dry, even though he was shaking from the cold.

Ned too was shaking, even though he hadn't been with him, at least not as far as Ben could tell. "_Ned_?" he thought, "_What happened_?"

"_I'm…not sure. One moment I was here, and then I was in the ocean. It was so cold; I thought I was going to freeze! I didn't see you in the water though, where were you_?"

Ben shook his head, speaking through gritted teeth to stop them from chattering. "I was here, the water slowly rising, rushing down from above."

Both were quite for a moment, thinking about what had just occurred. "You don't think…" His voice broke. He tried again. "You don't think that this ship…sinks?"

Ned shook his head fiercely and sent out his thought with force, "_I heard some people talking in the port. They said the ship is unsinkable_!"

Ben tried to reassure himself with Ned's words but he couldn't help but feel uneasy. Finally, Ned said, "_Tomorrow we'll look into it, but there's nothing we can do about it now. How about now we get something to eat_."

Ben nodded. The violent shaking had stopped and he was beginning to feel his fingers again, but his hunger had not disappeared. He stood, wobbling unsteadily. He grabbed onto the railing for support and together they slowly started down the stairs, the boy taking one step at a time and the dog waiting patiently at the bottom. They passed many people on their way down; most of whom Ben figured had gotten lost upon entering and were trying to find their way to fresh air.

After several flights of stairs, they came to a sign imbedded in the wall that read; Middle Deck F/3rd class dinning room. "_That must mean us unless they have a separate room for stowaways_." They went inside the indicated room.

Ben was slightly taken aback by the sudden noise and hustle of the dinning room. Dozens of people were sitting at a series of tables; men, women, and children of all ages were talking and singing and most importantly, eating. Many people were in line leading up to a large buffet table leaden with grilled mutton, baked potato, beef, cabbage soup, and a variety of vegetables.

Ben's mouth started to water at the smell of the food. He barely took in his other surroundings; glazed smooth white walls with black and white pictures of other White Star liners. The tables were bare but set with silverware and tin cups.

"_Well don't just stand there let's get in line_!" chided Ned. "_We're blocking the doorway_."

Ben walked almost trance like toward the line, his eyes never leaving the pile of food. All thought of mortal peril gone from his mind.

"_Not bad for a couple of stow-a-ways_." Commented Ned and Ben nodded mutely. "_I definitely want some of that beef_."

"_Ned, please stop talking about food, I'm hungry enough as it is_!"

"_Tut tut, five minutes won't hurt_."

Ben rolled his eyes and took a step forward as the line moved. After what seemed like an eternity, (and Ben would know) the Eternal pair reached the food-laden table. Grabbing a tray, Ben loaded it up with some of everything. Laden with the food for he and Ned they made their way towards the nearest empty table.

They weren't alone for long though. A teenager around the same age as Ben (minus some centuries) sat down across from him. He had dark hair and equally dark eyes, but he grinned in a carefree confident way when he sat down. Beside him holding on to his shirt end was a little girl with dirty blond curls who looked about the age of four.

"Mind if we sit here?" asked the new boy in a strong Irish accent, completely ignoring the fact that he had already sat down.

Ben raised an eyebrow but said, "Not at all." The little girl who had been eying Ned (who was under the table enjoying his meal) carefully and, judging that he wasn't a threat, preceded to sit on him. Ned looked up at Ben giving him a look of annoyance.

Ben ignored the look and returned his attention back to the newcomers just in time to see a fight break out over the new boy's left shoulder. One man threw a punch that sent the other man into a table, flipping a tray over and sending it's contence flying. Most of the food fell short but one of the knives that had been balancing on the tray's edge flew directly at towards the dark eyed newcomer.

The boy across from Ben turned to see what the commotion was about just in time to move his arm as the knife spun downwards and stuck, point first into the table where his hand had been a moment before.

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Not how I would've ended it but I needed a stopping point. In case you wondering, this newcomer will be a main character. I'll be seting up a new poll after chapter 4 is posted. Only 8 days of school left for me! Please Review!


	4. Chapter 4

I updated! Sorry it took so long, school's out but I now have a job (Oh boy) and I'm way behind in typing. I know I promised you readers a poll, but it includes characters who haven't been introduced yet. It's "Who will die?" Anyway thanks to everyone who reviewed, and I guess to those people who read, but didn't have the time. Sigh.

**Disclaimer** Yeah, Brian Jacques gave me, a high-schooler, writing writes. The papers are under my bed.

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Chapter 4

Frowning at the fight that had just happened behind him, the Irish boy swiveled round back to his food only to see the knife two inches away from his fingers. He stared at it for a moment, then gave a little shrug of acceptance and started shoveling food into his mouth. He pointed to himself and said with a full mouth, "Seamus." Then he pointed to his sister. "Susie."

Ben nodded. "I'm Ben and this is Ned." he waited for the new boy to speak next.

Seamus stopped eating for a moment, distracted from his meal. "Susie, stop pulling, er, Ned's ears." Then he went back to eating, talking as he did so. "Great food this is. My mums not much of a cook so this stuff is top rank. I'm judging at the rate your swallowing that down yours isn't one either."

The boy's voice was light and jovial and Ben knew not to take offense. He shrugged nonchalantly. "Wouldn't know. Don't have a mom; at least not one I remember very well. Nor a father." He frowned mentally at this last sentence.

Seamus's face fell a bit and all he said was, "Oh. Sorry."

Ben dismissed it with a wave of his hand as he flicked some loose strands of hair out of his eyes. "So where are you from?" he asked to change the topic.

Susie apparently grew bored with pulling Ned's ears and crawled into her brother's lap. Seamus shifted her to one leg and said, "Born and raised in Ireland, lived in England a while, now we're migrating to America. Dad missed the train on the way here. He's in London somewhere."

"That's unlucky." Commented Ben as he spooned a bite of steak and kidney pie into his mouth.

Seamus just shrugged again. "There's not much out there to make me miss this trip. Where did you say you were from again?"

Ben chucked lightly. "I didn't, mate."

"I know." Said Seamus looking expectant.

Mentally Ben shifted through his many ready-made answers he and Ned kept for such a question. Guessing that Seamus didn't know much of the outer-world, he chose an answer he rarely used, though it was his favorite. "I'm from a place called Tierra del Fuego. That's Spanish for Land of Fire."

"Never heard of it. Is it warm there?"

Ben shook his head. "Actually its really cold. People used to think the further you went south the warmer it got, not knowing it got cold again later on."

Seamus nodded thoughtfully. "I knew about it getting cold again, but I didn't realize Spain was so far south."

Ben chuckled again. "No, its not. Tierra del Fuego is the southern tip of South America. Not Spain."

This time Seamus blinked in surprise. "But isn't that on the other side of the world?"

The strange boy nodded, his eyes seeming to say more than his words. "Aye, it is."

Now Seamus looked incredulous. "And you traveled all that way by yourself?"

"Of course not! I had Ned with me."

Ned lifted his head up at the mention of his name, now that he was done with his food. "_I wondered when I'd be mention in this little conversation. Great job on the story by the way. Couldn't of done better myself_."

"_You know what they say, practice makes perfect_," Ben sent back.

Seamus was still shaking his head in wonderment as he took another bite from his fork. Susie was now eating pie with her fingers with disastrous results.

They continued to eat, silence growing between them. People were finishing up their meals now and the din around them had quieted down somewhat. Suddenly Seamus's eyes brightened and said, "Oh yea, I forgot. I ran into this 1st. class git on the way down here. He actually ordered me to carry his bags to his room for him."

Ben wondered if this was the boy Ned had snapped at earlier that morning. "Somehow I don't see you taking that well." Said Ben wryly.

Seamus grinned wickedly. "Told him I would and to lead the way. Took me about three seconds to ditch him and I threw his things in the closest lady's wash room."

Ben stared opened mouthed. Meanwhile his thoughts were filled with Ned's uproarious laughter. "_The kid's got nerve I'll give him that_!"

"Well? What do you think?"

The Eternal blinked and realized he hadn't replied so he answered, "I think this is going to be one interesting trip with the Irish on board. Make no mistake."

Both parties got up at the same time and left the dinning room at the same time. Seamus had to carry Susie because she had begun to nod off at the table. Ben and Ned walked with the other pair, not having anything better to do. Ben was struck with sudden inspiration, but decided to ask Ned about his idea first. "_Ned_," he thought, "_Do you think Seamus will tell if he finds out we're stowaways_?"

Ned considered the idea for a moment before replying, "_I think we can trust him. I don't think he has anyone he could tell if we couldn't_."

Ben hesitated a moment, but decided to speak. "Hey Seamus, you said your dad missed his train right?"

Seamus tilted his head to look at Ben, huffing at the weight of his sister on his back. "Yeah mate, I did say that."

"I was wondering if you had any extra space in your cabin, maybe an extra bunk or something?"

Seamus nodded his head wordlessly. He seemed to want to hear Ben say the words for himself.

"Well since Ned and I don't have a room I was thinking maybe we could stay in your cabin, if it's alright with your mum and all."

The Irish boy just grinned. "A stowaway huh, I'll be hard pressed to beat that. I like a good challenge though."

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Right, I'll update as soon as I can, but I'll be pretty busy this week. Soooo, reviews anybody? 60 seconds of your time is all I ask! Please!


	5. Chapter 5

Sorry for the wait, but I have a summer job and I had work tonight, now for the story~ alright, bit of a filler, but more happens later, I promise. I mean the ship sinks. That's big right? Right? Thanks to all the people...uh, two, who review! Readers! My goal is three reviews a chapter. IS THAT SO BAD?

**Disclaimer **Honestly...I'm no where_ that _good.

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Chapter 5

Seamus's cabin was on the same floor as the dinning room, much to his relief. "I swear she's getting heavier everyday." He muttered as they rounded the corner. He paused for a moment at an intersection, frowning.

"_I hope he's not lost_!" cried Ned in an exaggerated tone.

"Ah, yes, this way." Mumbled Seamus as they set off again. "Its all one big maze to me y'know? I'm surprised I found the dinning hall!"

"_Hmph. I could smell the food decks away. Human noses are so weak_." The dog complained.

Ben returned the though with a remark laced with sarcasm. "_We all can't be noble dogs with great noses_."

Ned gave a doggish sigh of irritation, but made no further comment.

After several minutes of navigating corridors and crowded passageways the group came to a room marked F85. "This is it!" said Seamus clearly relieved at finding the right room.

The cabin was small and simple; designed to hold four people, it had two bunks set into the walls on each side. Cabinets were built into the bed and a single toilet took up a good amount of the free space. A single bulb emitting yellow light lighted the room.

Seamus dumped Susie on one of the lower beds before turning to Ben and Ned. He gestured to the bottom bunk. "That one's yours."

The Labrador jumped onto Ben's bed and let his paws hang off the edge. A question was nagging at the back of Ned's mind, but Seamus answered it before he could ask Ben to.

"Your wondering what my mum's gonna say about you staying here aren't you?"

Ben tilted his head slightly, getting a thought from Ned, and then saying, "You could say it crossed my mind."

He shrugged. "I'm just going to tell her you got bunked in here to save room."

Ben raised an eyebrow. "Or we could tell her the truth."

Seamus blinked, as if he hadn't considered this option. "Huh." He said. "I didn't think of that."

The Eternal gave a small smile. "Do you think that would work mate?"

Seamus just shrugged again. "Don't know. I've never tried it before."

Ned groaned and flopped down onto his side. Seamus looked at him with bemusement. "He was just irritated because the bed is hard."

"Right." Said the Irish boy, with a hint of disbelief in his voice.

Ben decided it was time to change the topic. "So where's your mum?" asked Ben.

The other boy rolled his eyes. "Exploring probably. It's a big ship and she'll want to see it all. She told me I could do as I like as long as I don't fall overboard and I take Susie wherever I go." He explained.

"_I wonder what would happen if he did fall overboard_," Wondered Ben to himself. "_Would he have to take Susie with him_?

Ned heard the thought and said, "_I hope not, I hate falling overboard. Remember that time on the Persian Gulf_?"

"_Ugh! Don't remind me. Those seas are filled with sharks. I nearly lost a foot that day_." Out loud, he said, "Do you know this is a direct route to New York or are there other stops?"

Seamus sniggered. "You really did just see this ship and get on didn't you? Sometime this afternoon we stop at some French town called Cherbourg I think. Then tomorrow is my home, Ireland. There are still a lot of passengers to pick up."

Ben gave his head a small shake. "The ship was delayed; it almost hit another ship on its way out of port. We probably won't hit French waters until tonight."

They sat there a moment, listening to the sounds of the ship plowing on through the water and that of the engine slightly vibrating the floor.

Ned asked Ben the question they had all been wondering. "_What now_?"

Ben answered the question aloud, "I suppose we should go and explore her majesty."

"Yeah, 'splorin sounds like a good idea. I think there's a post office somewhere on this side of the ship."

"Let's go check it out," said Ben, glad for an excuse to get out of the cramped room.

The post office turned out to be directly below them on G deck. It was about four times the size of their cabin above them and its walls were lined with shelves with slots in them for holding mail. At the back of the room was a mahogany desk with a tall woman sitting behind it. She had very beady eyes, black like her hair and a long hooked nose that gave her a hawkish appearance.

When she spoke, it was in a heavy German accent. "Da dog stays out of ere."

Ben heard Ned's thought on the subject a second later. "_Huh! Maybe I don't want to be in here bird face_!"

"_Steady on there shipmate, I want to check something first_ before _we get chucked out_." Ben then spoke aloud in German. "Mein hund verursacht kein problem marm, wir ist nur einige minuten." (1. My dog won't cause any trouble marm; we'll only be a few minutes.)

The woman seemed to relax a bit at the sound of her native language, but she still eyed Ned suspiciously. Seamus was looking at Ben nonplused. "Since when do you speak Dutch?"

"That was German, not Dutch," muttered Ben under his breath to Seamus.

"Is there a difference?" asked the Irish boy, slightly irritated at being left out of the conversation and starting to get bored with his surroundings; probably wondering how to whirl things up.

Ben ignored the question and crossed the room to the desk. A thought had been nagging at the back of his mind all the while they were eating. Now seemed to be the perfect chance to find out and hopefully prove his theory wrong.

Again, he spoke in German, "Echuldigen sie Mich," (2. Excuse me) he started in the politest tone he had, "Aberich wunderte Mich, wenn sie geschahen, eine volle liste aller passagiere zu haben?" (3. But I was wondering if you happened to have a list of all the passengers?) He ended with a smile.

"Ich tue" (4. I do.) She said in her native tongue. She pulled out a small but thick leather bound book and set it on the desk.

Ben rifled through it searching, until he reached the S's. "Somer." He muttered, "Somer…" There was nothing. On impulse he checked under Winn but that name too was absent. "_Thank the Angel,_" he thought as he shut the book. Ned might have convinced him Amy might not be on this ship, but that didn't mean she wasn't seeing someone off.

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Yay for translators! Really, that's Germen peoples. I'll get to work on chapter 6...

Come on! Please take sixty seconds and write a review. I don't write this for my health...


	6. Chapter 6

**News update!** I have created a community called Castaways Kingdom! It's for writing prompts that can be found on my profile! (.net/u/1726226/Castaway5) The prompts don't have to be something very long, but give it a shot, I'm currently working on mine.

I got this done as fast as I could, big thank you to my beta Nirin Tani whose really helping me out. Also I'd like to thank everyone who's reviewed and read this so far, and having to put up with my writing. I think that's it, time for the chapter!

**Disclaimer** I do not own muffins. Wait, what?

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Titanic Chapter 6

They exited a minute later, Ned not commenting on what Ben had done. They were safe from exposure and that was all that really mattered.

Seamus had just commented that he'd like to get a breath of fresh air above deck when it happened. For the second time that day the lights flickered and Ben felt the temperature drop to below freezing level. The feeling only lasted a second though and the lights quit flickering.

Ben's heart was racing and he glanced around wildly, looking for something wrong. Ned too was searching, for what he didn't know, but he sniffed the floor anyway hoping to find something his human companion could not.

Seamus, unaware of what of what his friends had experienced had started walking down the hall, Susie in tow. Boy and dog held eye contact for a moment, and then at the same time started walking.

What ever they were experiencing it was clear to them now that they were the only one's aware of it. It was also clear to them that something was going to happen on board the Titanic, and soon.

After what to Ben seemed like a very long time they emerged onto the top deck. "Blimey, I thought we were going to be stuck down there forever mate."

Ben nodded, not meeting Seamus's eyes. "Aye, so did I." He was surprised by how much time had passed while they had been below deck. Already the sun was sinking towards the west. He glanced up at the sun and determined it was around three.

They made their way towards the stern of the ship, it being the furthest away. The chilled April wind blew at their faces as they walked, laughing as they pretended to be blown back by the heavy gale.

Ben felt so much freer in the open air. While inside the ship he had felt trapped in a large building with no way out. Out on deck though, well, there weren't words for it.

"_I'm with you on that one shipmate_! _There's nothing like friends at your side and the sea at your back_!" came Ned's thought into his head.

"_And an unknown doom lurking somewhere in front_." Replied Ben.

"_Oh, well, if you want to dwell on it_…" He left off, then started again, "_But isn't that what seafaring's all about_?" Without waiting for an answer Ned raced ahead. The other two ran to catch up but were easily out-distanced.

They arrived, panting near the stern rail; Ned trotting circles around them. "_Huh. You two are panting as if it was the middle of July, not April. I'm going to have to fix that this voyage_."

Seamus flopped down onto the deck, spread eagle on his back, completely ignoring the people staring at him. Ben leaned against the rail, chest heaving. "_Maybe you should, I feel like I'm burning up_!"

He stared down at the churned water below, watching it bubble and froth as the unseen propeller disturbed it. "_We must be going at least 25 knots_!" Said Ben in wonderment. "_That should be impossible for a ship this size_." His breathing slowed, still taking deep breaths but not gasping like Seamus was. He turned his clouded blue eyes back toward the sea.

"_I've noticed we always end up back at sea. Why do you think that is Ben_" came Ned's voice in his mind.

Ben's memories took him back over a century, back to another conversation. "_I am bound to the sea in one way or another. Sometimes I love it, yet other times I hate it_." He stared out at the horizon, thinking deep thoughts. Eternal angst was rapidly becoming a friend of his.

"_Ben? Are you going to answer me_?"

Realizing he hadn't answered his dog's question, he said, "_I suppose that because that's where it all started. Who knows what our lives would have been like if we hadn't been on the Dutchman_?"

"_We would have been dead, I know that much. I don't think I would've lasted much longer if I hadn't climbed that gangplank and you would of drowned if you hadn't climbed the towrope. We've suffered hardship, true, but think of all the things we've done! All the people we've met_!"

Ben reached down and scratched behind his dog's ear. "_I know mate, I just need you to sometimes remind me. Now let's haul Seamus up before he falls asleep_!"

In the end, it took several minutes to convince Seamus that the top deck was not a good place for a nap. Noticing the way Seamus was eyeing a deck chair, Ben said, "Look here mate, maybe you should follow your sister's lead and take a nap."

The Irish boy just scowled. "If I did that the two of you would just do something exciting and I would miss it. God only knows how you got on the ship, and I want to know what you'll do now that you're on."

"_He's probably right you know_," thought the Labrador.

"If I do," he continued, "Promise you won't anything fun without me."

"_What a kill joy_." Grumbled Ned.

"I promise."

"_Me too_."

Seamus looked down at Ned. "What about you eh? You aren't going to take over the ship while I'm asleep are you?"

Ned straightened indignantly. "_I just promised didn't I? Though taking over the ship isn't such a bad idea_."

"He promises too." Said Ben to Seamus, while also keeping an eye on Ned's sudden interest on becoming Captain.

"Right, before I go, there's suppose to be a party tonight in one of the bars, our floor I think, portside. How about we meet up there. I'll bet there'll be enough ladies to split between us eh?"

Ben did a mental sigh. Ned nodded in encouragement. "_I'm sure you won't break too many hearts this voyage_." They continued to watch the waters until Ned finally broke his gaze and glanced around. Seamus was still with them, looking suddenly very awake.

"_Looks like your going to have to break your promise Ben, look who's coming towards us_!"

The Eternal looked around and saw the first class boy from earlier strutting cockily towards them, a twisted smile on his face.

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I know what your thinking, finally some action! I know, your right. This is long due. Too bad you have to wait...

Please, look at the prompts, they really get you thinking!


	7. Chapter 7

I'm so sorry it took this long! At surf camp I injured my ribs and in Florida I got sick, plus I missed a lot of work and now I'm taking my driving tests...I've just been so overwhelmed. So for waiting so long, here's an extra long chapter! Thanks for the ton of reviews I got and thanks to my Beta Nirin Tani!

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Titanic Chapter 7

Ben sighed, aloud this time. He really wasn't in the mood for this…

"_Do you want me to chase him off_?" asked Ned.

"_No, better to wait until we hit the Atlantic. That way they can't throw us off_." He paused for a moment, and then added as an after thought, "_Or at least not legally_."

"There you are! Thought you could avoid me forever did you?" sneered the first class boy.

Seamus cracked his knuckles loudly, but Ben was the one who spoke. "I don't know what you're talking about. I ate lunch, went to my cabin, and then came up here. I haven't been avoiding anyone."

The other boy, whose confidence seemed to grow at Ben's simple manner, sneered again and poked Ben in the chest. Instantly Ned's hackles raised and he began to growl.

Ben's mouth twitched, but his eyes seemed to turn to ice and when he spoke, his voice was laced with steel. "I don't think that was a good idea. You see my friend here doesn't like bad manners."

"That flea ridden cur is your friend? It's just a stupid dog!"

For the second time that day Ben found himself restraining Ned from attacking, and it was truly getting on his nerves.

The boy turned to face Seamus and his eyes narrowed. "You!"

Seamus stepped forward, fists clenched. "Me. You got a problem with that?"

Without bothering to answer he struck out hitting the Irish boy across the face. Before Ben could grab Seamus's arm with his free hand Seamus retaliated. Bringing his fist in a straight uppercut, he caught the would-be-bully in the jaw.

The first classer stumbled backwards clutching his head and swearing. The blond headed boy grabbed his companion by the arm and held him back, trying to keep him from lashing out again.

"_Ned, get rid of him, scare him away or something just don't hurt him! We need to get away from here_ _before some official see's us_!" To Ben's relief Ned bounded forward, froth flying from his mouth as he snarled viciously. The boy stumbled backwards; nearly tripping over his own feet in his haste to flee from what he thought was a rabid dog.

Glancing around, the Eternal noticed two men in uniform making they're way towards them. Letting go of Seamus, he yelled, "Bolt!"

Forgetting his anger momentarily, Seamus ran in an arc, circling the two men and fleeing to the opposite side of the ship the first classer had run. Seeing the Irish boy go one way, the men started towards Ben.

The immortal pair didn't need to exchange thoughts on what to do next. They ran.

* * *

For Ben and Ned, the few days they spent on the _Titanic_ would be remembered for the rest of they're lives. Ben for one was glad he could recall the first night as being one of content. The going away party took place on Upper deck E; in a bar called 38 Saloons. The room was large but packed full of people. It was stuffy with the labored breathing of those dancing, which completely dominated the center of the room.

The pair made their way slowly through the crowd, having to duck between a fistfight that had started over knocked drinks. "_We've been here not five minutes and people are already drunk_!" thought Ned.

"_If you brew it they will come_."

They found Seamus in the back of the room, looking out a porthole window; watching the distant lights of the French coast disappear. Ben noticed a bruise on the Irish boy's face, but made no comment on it. He seemed happy enough.

Seeing them he beckoned the pair over. "The ship stopped for two hours there, but it seems like less."

Ben nodded. "Time moves quickly while you're at sea."

"Well my homeland is the next stop, good 'ole Ireland. Pity that's not the final destination."

"_Pity he's not getting off there_." Thought Ned, thinking of their foreboding vision; if indeed that was what they were having.

Ben grimaced, but Seamus didn't notice. Too caught in thoughts about his homeland. Suddenly Ned leapt upon him sending Seamus flying backwards as a glass mug smashed exactly where his head had been before. Ben ducked under a table as another mug (still full of beer this time) flew towards him, sending fluids and glass all over the place.

The Eternal flicked a piece of glass out from his tow colored hair and crawled towards the center of the room, which was free of flying drinks and seemed to be for the younger crowd (And the less drunk). He could see Seamus and Ned crawling army style across to the nearest table. They made it through the tangle of legs and chairs without further mishap, and stepped to the edge of the circle of dancers.

Seamus's jaw dropped at the sight of a girl in a white dress. Around her danced a little girl, obviously her sister.

"_Oh ho_!" said Ned to Ben. "_Looks like someone's taken a fancy to her! Very pretty she is_."

Seamus seemed to snap out of his staring and quickly turned to Ben, his voice babbling out of him. "Look, I know we saw her at the same time, but I think I'd have a better chance of dancing with her and I'm sure you understand…" Without waiting for Ben to speak he half walked, half ran to her.

"_Well isn't he the gentlemen_." Thought Ned as they watched Seamus bowing to the girl. Then they laughed as the smaller girl pushed him away. He talked to her for a minute, then pointed over at Ben, then straightened and walked back to the pair, looking sheepish.

"I expect you need a favor." Said Ben grinning.

"Er, yeah, about that…" he faltered, swallowed, then continued. "Well Rachel, that amazing girl over there, won't leave her partner, her sister I mean, unless there's someone to replace her, so I was wondering if you'd, y'know, dance with her." He finished and gulped down a large breath of air, looking pleadingly at Ben.

Ben raised an eyebrow. " But I think you'd have a better chance of dancing with her." He said, trying to keep a straight face.

"_Come on Ben, help a friend out_!"

"_You just want to see me make a fool of myself. You know I don't dance_."

Ned didn't respond, but wagged his tail.

Ben rolled his eyes, both to his dog and to his friend. "Fine, I'll do it." He said, speaking to both of them.

"Cheers mate, I owe you one." He said before strolling back to the girls. Ben shook his head and followed.

The girl was indeed pretty, with wavy brown hair and stunning green eyes. She smiled when they approached and she held out her hand for Seamus to kiss, which he did before sweeping her into a line of dancers.

The younger girl, who had short brown curls and looked about seven, eyed Ben suspiciously.

"_She's waiting for you to bow like Seamus did_." Sniggered Ned.

Taking his dog's hint, he bowed and offered to kiss her hand but she tugged it free and slid her hands into Ben's instead. The blond headed boy tried, unsuccessfully to lead, but soon gave up. The will of a seven year old proved to be too much.

He was relieved, when the song called for it, to switch dance partners. He caught Seamus's warning glance when he ended up with Rachel but ignored it. The girl looked curiously at Ben's sea filled eyes, only to receive a smile as he spun her off back to Seamus.

Ben lay in bed with Ned sprawled out over his legs. He listened to the hum of machinery coming from the floor below them, and to Ned's snores. Seamus was asleep on the bunk above him and Seamus's mother (who came in late) slept across from him; Susie having the other top bunk.

He closed his eyes at the faint rocking of the massive vessel. Tomorrow he and Ned would research the ship, and hopefully find out why they were sent here. Maybe the Angel would tell them in a dream? That was Ben's last thought before he was asleep.

* * *

Out across the Atlantic Ocean, far into the north, winds swept over a heaving deck. Tattered sails waved, billowing then letting slack every few seconds. Icicles hung from the mast as it swayed, threatening to cleave anything less they fall.

The ship named Fleiger Hollander turned slowly, floating slightly above the waves. Framed with the light of St. Elmo's fire, it began to move west, away from the Americas and towards its two Castaways slowly, but surely.

End of Part 1

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The next chapter will be out much sooner, I'm going to posting so spoof chapters next. Please **REVIEW**!


	8. Chapter 8

Hey everybody, sorry this took so long, I meant to get it out to you awhile ago...yeah. This chapter sets up the next chapter, which will be double in length, but I'll get to that after you've read the story.

Thanks to my Beta Narin Tani for editing this, you the best!

**Disclaimer** No.

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Part 2 ~ The Unsinkable Ship

Chapter 8

April 11, 1912

Ben awoke gradually and waited for his eyes to adjust to the dark room. The only light came from the door crack leading from the hallway. He sensed that he had been asleep for a long time, but had no idea what time it was.

Carefully, so as not to disturb Ned and his other sleeping companions, slid out from underneath the thin frayed covers. Slipping into his shoes, he stood, swaying; trying to rid himself from the last traces of sleep. By now he could see the outlines of the objects around him.

There was no one in the bed across from him. Good, then he wouldn't feel guilty when he did wake them up. Without hesitating Ben flicked the light-switch to the cabin light. "Rise and shine my fellow cabin mates!"

Seamus groaned and nearly rolled off the top bunk. Grabbing onto the edge to steady himself, he blinked repeatedly, trying to wake himself up. "I really wasn't asleep," he said. "I was just resting my eyes. I was the first one up."

Ben sat down on his bed and started lacing up his shoes. "Yeah, well your eyes were snoring pretty loudly. Besides your mother is gone so I'm guessing she was the first one up."

A small head poked out from the folds of the top bunk causing Ben to wince. He had forgotten about the four year old.

"_Oh well, casualty of war and what not. She had to get up at some point if we're going out anyway. Do you think breakfast is still going on? It feels rather late_."

The youth smiled down at his dog. Somehow his thoughts always turned to food. Seamus dressed Susie quickly; both he and Seamus had slept in their clothes. (In Ben's case he didn't have any clothes to change into)

Hoping that the morning meal was still in session, the small group proceeded their way to the dinning room. They reached their destination in a matter of minutes, but found the room almost deserted.

"Look's like we've missed breakfast." Ben observed, stating the obvious.

Seamus let out a sigh of irritation and Ned gave a mental groan. Susie, who had never really woken up, was blinking sleepily and leaning heavily against the Irish boy.

Ben ran a hand through his ruffled hair. "Well, if we have to wait until lunch, we might as well kill some time. Let's go up on deck and see where we are!"

Together they proceeded to climbing the stairs, heading up to top deck via the way they had come yesterday. Ned shot Ben a glance of apprehension as they passed the spot where the first vision had happened, but they passed it without trouble.

It seemed as if the clouds had followed then from their way from Britain, for once again it was cloudy. People crowded the deck rails, looking out to land. "_That's funny_." Thought Ned, "_I hadn't even noticed the ship had stopped moving_."

Seamus prodded his sister, and said, "Wake up silly, it's where you were born!" She blinked and rubbed her eyes, looking out at green coastline of Ireland and the port near the sea.

Ben stepped forward and glanced up at the sky, trying to determine what time it was through the clouds. He wasn't having much luck. "_Feel's like it's about eleven, we were out of it a long time_." Thought the Labrador as he began to scratch his side with his back leg.

"_Well then let's not miss lunch then_."

"_Good idea. That tends to make me hungry_."

The boy winked down at his dog. "_Aye, me too_!"

They looked over the ship's rail at the bustling port of Queenstown. It looked like most seaports he and Ned had traveled through over the last decade, albeit with larger ships. In the distance they could see green rolling hills and yellowed fields. A part of him yearned to escape this ship, and leave whatever perils lay in store for it behind. Ireland was a nice country; they had passed through it before…

Ned looked up at him, then towards land. "_We can't go. You know that_."

Ben sighed heavily; glad Seamus and Susie were further down the rail and couldn't hear. "_I know that, I just wish we sometimes had a choice_."

"_So if you could, would you leave, right now_?"

The boy stared out to land, blue eyes unfocused. Events replayed in his mind, events where he and Ned being there had made all the difference. Finally, he said, "_No_."

"_Good, now that your mind is back on track, we can review what we know_!"

"_We don't know anything, except that something_ might _happen_."

"_Then let's find out more about this voyage we're on. It won't be the first time we make friends with the Captain_."

Ben nodded at his dog's thought, as Seamus walked over to stand next to him, Susie in tow. Seeing Ben's nod, he asked, "What's up?"

Ben gave a quick disarming smile and said, "Oh, we were just admiring the view weren't we Ned?"

The Labrador nodded sagely, then pretended to nibble at something on his side.

Seamus simply raised his eyebrow. "Yeah, but what's up?"

"_If people were this observant around the world we'd be in a lot of trouble_."

The strange boy ignored his dog's comment, but silently agreed. "Ned and I have an errand to run, something we have to look up."

The Irish boy nodded thoughtfully. "And I suppose this venture is private?"

Glad that Seamus had understood so quickly, he replied, "Aye, it is."

Seamus shrugged. "Well don't let me hold you up. If you need to do it, then do it."

"Alright then, see ya later mate." Both boy and dog turned and walked off abruptly, some hidden meaning in their stride.

* * *

Seamus turned his gaze back towards land. How he would love to just go ashore for a day, but no, that wasn't possible. He had a one-way ticket. Besides, in an hour or two's time, the ship would lift anchor and he was certain that he would never set foot in his homeland again.

He exhaled deeply, breathing in a sudden breeze. Absentmindedly he plucked Susie off of the railing from where she was about to fall and set her on the ground. Keeping one hand firmly planted on her shoulder, he began steering her down the deck in order to get a better view.

No, he thought, as he as they almost walked into a group of people. Not much would happen on this uneventful voyage. But perhaps if he stuck around with Ben and Ned-those two stowaways, something fun would happen. They already seemed to have had adventures before, something he was slightly jealous of. Of course he could be lying, but Seamus didn't think so. Something in those eyes…

Seamus was more observant than most when it came to people, but he knew he couldn't be the only one to see that the pair had been through a lot. Then he spotted a girl with wavy brown hair and his thoughts changed entirely to a different topic.

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Right, hope you enjoyed that, now that I've gotten some other personal writing projects out of the way, I'll be able to concentrate on this story oncemore. The next chapter will be double in length as I've stated above, and our Eternal pair will finally figure out what's going to happen, and why they should've gotten off at Ireland...

Also, don't forget, Castaway's Kingdom prompts are do this week!

This time, I'll try something new. Whoever reviews will get Cake!


	9. Chapter 9

I am so sorry about the lateness. I meant to get this out forever ago. That said and out of the way, this chapter's twice as long! Plus, I have some cool things coming up. A good friend of mine drew a cover page for this story and it is simply amazing. As soon as I can find a scanner, I'll put the link on my profile. Super cool.

Next, this November is NaNo. I will try my hardest to get another chapter out before this hectic time comes around, but otherwise an update won't be coming that month. Sorry.

Special Thanks to Narin Tani!

**Disclaimer** To worried about NaNo to think up a funny disclaimer. Sorry, but I don't own the Castaways.

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Titanic

Chapter 9

Despite what he had told Seamus the pair ate a quick lunch first, not knowing how long it would be before their task was complete. So far, they were unsuccessful in locating the Captain, but of course they hadn't asked outright. Ben knew enough about social classes to know that someone in his position couldn't just walk up to the captain of _Titanic _and have a chat.

"_Huh. If I was the Captain all voices would be heard on my ship_!" thought the dog while he sat alongside his friend.

"_All right then, let's take over the ship_." Joked Ben, knowing his dog wouldn't take him seriously. "_Then you can be Captain_."

"Oh boy! _I always knew piracy was for me_!" said the dog in mock enthusiasm, "_Where should we start_?"

Ben thought for while. At the moment they were hiding behind a lifeboat, near the bow of the ship. The boy glanced upwards briefly, looking at the stack emitting black billowing smoke.

"Ned." Ben stated, to get his dog's attention.

"_Yeah Ben_?"

"_We're on the same floor as the ship's bridge right_?"

Ned nodded. "_Yeah, but the door was blocked by that ship hand, remember? We tried that."_

"_I know, but I was thinking that I could climb onto the floor above us and perhaps find an unguarded way in_."

"_And how do you plan on getting to the roof_?"

"_There's a ladder attached to the wall over there_." Answered the youth, indicating the way by tilting his head.

The dog's tail drooped dejectedly. "_I can't climb ladders_."

"_No, you can't_." agreed Ben.

Ned's head sank until it was resting on his paws, and then lay down. He gave Ben a sad look, but said, "_Well go on without me then. Just don't get caught_."

Ben hugged his dog briefly, and then asked, "_Where will you be shipmate_?"

"_Oh I'll be here, asleep most likely. Just give me a shout if you need me_."

The blond headed boy straightened out from behind the lifeboat and started to walk towards where he had seen the ladder leading to the roof above. "I will. Do you want me to take over the ship while I'm there?"

"_No_." said Ned closing his eyes. "_Not today. We have the whole week to kill_."

The ladder was only a few yards away from where they had been hiding, and Ben leaned against the wall, the perfect picture of innocence. There were few people on deck, (most people were still eating lunch), but Ben waited until no one was looking before acting.

Turning, he gripped the cold steel bars. Quickly and cautiously, Ben scaled the ladder, checking to make sure he hadn't been seen when he reached the top. Ducking low, he made his way to the wheelhouse, careful not to let his shadow show on the deck below him.

He passed the spot where the deckhand stood guard and crept towards a spot where he could drop to the floor below and still be out of sight from watchful eyes. Carefully he lowered himself down feet first, and then lowered himself until he only hung by his fingers.

He blinked. The wall he was facing was made entirely of glass; meaning Ben was completely visible from the inside. The second the youth realized this he dropped and crouched down behind the half wall. Breathing as quietly as he could, he mentally counted to ten, then, when no one showed up to ask why there was a strange boy wandering around the wheel deck.

Peering out from his temporary hiding spot, he looked into the room. Inside was a man, the Captain he supposed, inspecting some machine or another. The only reason why he hadn't been seen was because the Captain was facing the other way.

Ben knew he would only get one shot at this. Taking a deep breath, he reached for the door handle. A hand clamped down on Ben's shoulder causing him to jump.

The boy struggled, trying to get free, but the person who had grabbed him had a grip of steel. Twisting his head around, he could see the person who had a hold on him.

The man was short, only an inch or two taller than him, but was thicker and much more powerfully built. He had the air of a boxer about him and Ben knew there would be no way of escaping, at least not without causing possible harm to the man, or himself. The Eternal chided himself for being caught, but adopted a half -hearted smile; hoping to be let free.

The ship worker frowned down at the lad, face full of disapproval. "Eh. Yer not supposed to be here are ya?"

Ben didn't think the man would like the idea of him wandering around the roof of the wheelhouse, so he hoped the man wouldn't ask how he had gotten past the guard. Instead he stood up straight, (or as straight as he could while still he being held) and said, in a confident voice, "I came to see the Captain."

The man's face twisted into a sneer. "Did ya now? And what makes you think you could do that?"

Before Ben could answer the door behind him opened revealing a tall man in ship's uniform. He had a white beard and mustache, complete with a Captain's cap. About him was such an air of leadership and sea-worthiness that Ben could tell, just by looking, that this was a man who had spent decades on the sea. In the back of his mind, Ben wondered if he himself had this air of a salt about him, but at the moment he had more pressing matters to see to.

The Captain glanced at Ben, then did a double take, as so many did when they saw the boy's eyes. They were the exact color of the sea around them, though even now they seemed to change to a lighter shade, masking a distant storm from view. A storm that was centuries old.

The crewman who had grabbed Ben meanwhile, released him and saluted at the Captain. "Captain Smith Sir!" he said in an official tone. "I found this urchin lurking outside the wheelhouse. I was just about to take him back to his class's commons."

Knowing this would be his only chance to say his piece, Ben spoke. "Please Sir, I only had some questions to ask. They wouldn't take much of your time!"

The Captain seemed to consider Ben for a moment and the youth felt as if the _Titanic's _Captain was staring through him rather than at him. Finally the Captain pulled out a golden watch on a chain from his coat pocket and examined the time. "I suppose I have a minute or two before I'll be needed."

Ben let out a sigh of relief. He was actually going to be taken seriously.

The man behind him seemed against his cause, for he said in a curt voice, "Pardon my speaking Sir, but you are need elsewhere. We have mere minutes before we leave port."

Again, the Captain looked at his watch, then looked at the man. "Send for Mister Gunnery."

Sensing his Captain had dismissed him, and ignored him, the sailor turned without another word and left. Turning around, the Captain opened the door and held it open to walk in.

Inside, the floor was made of gleaming polished oak. Attached to the walls were telephones and levers the likes of which Ben had never seen before. There, in the middle of the floor, stood the wheel; engraved with ornate carvings and made of good solid wood. For Ben, it was the anchor to the past, the one thing that hadn't changed in seafaring life.

For the Eternal, it was a comfort.

The Captain crossed over to the wheel and ran his hand along the carvings. "Of course this is mostly for show," he said, nodding at the wheel. "These contraptions are just as important as the wheel once was."

Ben nodded, showing he understood. The Captain turned and stared again into the Eternal's eyes, trying to decipher the mystery hidden there. All his years experience seemed to mean nothing in the presence of this boy.

The tow headed lad cleared his throat noisily and the Captain gave himself a small shake. He gave him a curt nod. "You said you had some questions?" he said, not unkindly.

Ben nodded again and spoke hesitatingly, "Sir, I have heard people call this ship unsinkable. I've been on a lot of ships, and all of them could sink." Granted, some of them had sunk while he was still on them, but that was hardly his or Ned's fault. "What I'm asking is what makes this ship special?"

He had decided that this was the most pressing question, since in the visions showed the ship taking on water. If the ship really did prove to be unsinkable, then he and Ned would keep on the look out for their purpose, minds at rest.

The Captain scratched his bearded chin in thought. "The chance of collision on open sea is small, the _Titanic _is so large that any other ship would know to avoid it, they'd be crushed if they didn't. The only other obstacles are icebergs, which can be just as easily avoidable. Did you see what happened with the _New York_? Well in any case there are completely empty holds to contain any water can as they say, spring a leak." He finished with a sense of pride in his voice.

Ben was far from being reassured. In the visions he had been engulfed in freezing water. _Maybe we're taking these too seriously; maybe they're not real_.

"What about lifeboats Sir?" asked Ben. His voice was steady, but another thought had just entered his mind. "It didn't look like there were enough on deck for all the passengers."

The master of the _Titanic _dismissed the question with a wave of his hand. "This is a simple transport to New York. I hardly think there will be need for them. To answer you question there are enough lifeboats for half of her passengers.

The boy's mouth opened, but no words came out. This was against the rules of seafaring, or at least it had been. These strange times…

A knock sounded against the window and the door opened. A man with chestnut brown hair and a pointed nose walked in and stood to attention.

"Ah, Mr. Gunnery." Said the Captain as he switched his attention from Ben to the man and then back to Ben. "If you'll excuse me, I have business to attend to."

Ben knew he had been dismissed so turned without a word and strolled over to the door. As he reached for the handle, the Captain called out, "I never got your name boy?"

As the Eternal turned, Captain Edward Smith felt a pang of pity surge through him for the boy when they made eye contact. "Ben Sir, just Ben Sir."

Then he was gone.

Ben found Ned a few minutes later. He was indeed asleep, but woke up to listen to what the Captain had said. He stood up indignantly when Ben told him about the lifeboat problem. "_I bet I know which half will be loaded onto them first_!" He said in a dark tone.

Ben inclined his head, "_Aye, the first class half_."

They looked out from behind the lifeboat at the people lining the rails. The ship's whistle blew and smoke was flowing from the stacks. In moment the ship would move, leaving land for the last time. The pair stared out at the rolling green hills in the distance, longing clear on their faces.

It happened like a flash. The sun's light was snuffed out and was replaced with the twinkling lights of stars. "_Not again_!" Ben mentally groaned. Ned stood beside him, so that was reassuring at least. The feeling didn't last long. Ben only had time to register his breath coming out in mist and feel the cold before he fell onto his back and began sliding backwards, Ned yelping in alarm.

They were moving too fast for Ben to see everything around them, but people were screaming and sliding with them. His fingers found Ned's scarf and clamped down on it with a death grip. He swung out his other arm and caught hold of the railing bar.

It felt as if his arm was about to be pulled out of its socket and he heard Ned gasp as pressure was applied to his neck but the thick fur kept him from choking. Panting, they both looked downwards. "_What a nice place to hang out_." Commented Ned, even as Ben's grip on the bar began to slip.

Ben gritted his teeth and tried to hold on, but he knew it was only seconds until they would be falling again. Was it possible to die in this vision dream thing? He was praying to the Angel now, asking to be let free of this monstrosity. This had to stop!

It did. But not before he slipped.

* * *

If anyone has read my other story the Tale, you'd know that long ago, Ned told Ben not to slip. (Evil Grin)

Please Review!


	10. Chapter 10

I'm back! And I won NaNo! I feel so much better as a writer. I plan to get chapters out much quicker, so updates galore! Also, I'm happy to say I finally got the cover work for Titanic. If you click on my pen name, and then go to my homepage, it will lead you to my DeviantART account and you can all see it! (Thanks Aslyn for drawing it for me!) I'm really sorry it took so long to get this out. I hope you enjoy!

And thanks to all you readers who have stayed with me for this chapter!

**Disclaimer** Slippery when wet.

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Titanic

Chapter 10

Ben awoke to see stars in the sky. The smell of cold air and salt assaulted his senses. He propped himself up on his elbows and winced. His muscles were aching from lying on the ship's deck for hours. "_Hours_." Looking around, he saw Ned lying beside him, still asleep. The youth closed his eyes, seeing the events in his head as they happened. Him slipping, he and Ned falling all that way, slamming into ice cold waters below…

Ned's eyes opened and he lifted his head an inch. They stared at each other, not even trying to comprehend. They were tired. Groaning, Ben stood up. Ned stretched and did likewise. From pure habit their gazes turned towards the sea, looking for the Dutchman, but it was nowhere in site.

The deck was empty; but Ben could see the night guard's silhouette against a small oil lamp up in the crew's nest. They had missed dinner; he could hear Ned's stomach rumbling from standing next to him. They would get up early tomorrow, despite their lack of sleep.

He could barely keep his eyes open, let alone walk straight, and had to keep one hand on Ned's back you keep from falling over. Ben thought longingly of the elevators he had seen first class passengers using, but they would be closed at this hour.

The pair trudged slowly down the vast hallway, meeting no one. Thankfully the lights were left on twenty-four seven. Ben suddenly stopped as they passed a mirror embedded in the wall beside them. He looked a mess. Ned looked all right, but this was what he probably looked like after being shipwrecked from some ship or another.

For the first time he noticed the frost lining his blonde hair. Weird, he hadn't even noticed the cold feeling, though he knew it must be freezing outside. Ned too had a thin layer of ice on his back, but already it was melting from the warmth of the corridor. Setting off again, the pair descended the stairs slowly and carefully, barely making it to their room. Twice Ned had stopped him from entering the wrong room.

Finally, Ben collapsed onto the bed. He could hear Seamus snoring. One last thought entered his mind before sleep took him away. "_The ship is going to sink_." Then his eyelids crashed shut and he was asleep.

They were standing on a cliff. Water crashed against the rocks below them as the fray churned in a silent storm. Wind tore at their backs, whipping Ben's tow colored hair into his eyes, strong, but not enough to blow them off.

The boy could feel the presence of his dog beside him, but couldn't see him as his limbs and neck were frozen in place. Only his eyes were free to roam, scanning the waters for what he knew must be near by. It was.

Out in the distance, floating slightly above the waves was the _Flying Dutchman_. Framed by the light of St. Elmo's fire, its gale-ridden sails blew one way, and then the other as it tacked.

Adrenaline flowed through his veins and his blood pounded profusely. A hole had just opened in the clouds and a golden light spilt out. He watched as the Angel descended from the Heavens. Beautiful, but terrible, it was neither man nor woman. It lifted its sword and pointed directly at the Eternal pair.

_Beware the Dutchman_

_Wait for the Command_

Then as it did centuries ago, the Elements returned. To Ben it was a sudden storm. The wind doubled and blew at him from all sides, forcing him dangerously close to the edge. The golden light swept towards them like a spotlight and Ben's dream ended right before he fell off the edge, leaving him in dreamless sleep.

Ben awoke at the same time Ned did, and both were surprised to find they weren't tired, despite it being so early. Judging by an internal clock, Ned reckoned it was almost dawn. Leaving Seamus 's family, who were all still asleep, the pair left. Ben went straight to the closes washroom and took a much-needed shower. Once clean, hair still wet, he emerged and joined a waiting Ned.

Together, they made they're way up to top deck. Both had had the same dream, and both knew there was nothing to do but wait for the Angel's Command. They had learned much from last night's two scenes, but in reality there was nothing either of them could until the event actually happened.

Hundreds of people were going to die, and they couldn't stop it. It made sense why they were there, help out where you can, save some lives. But in the end, at least half of the ship's occupants would go down with the ship.

Thoughts chased themselves around his head, and the boy knew the same thoughts were floating in his dog's head too. "_We can't tell anyone. They'd only call me crazy, and then find out we're stowaways. We can't help if we're locked up_."

"_But we can't just do nothing_!" exclaimed Ned.

They were outside now, walking along the deck. The only people out and about were sailors, who ignored them and continued doing their morning jobs.

"_Ned, this isn't our fault, the ship would sink even if we we're on it_!" he thought, furious at the situation they were forced into. "_We're just here to help_!"

"_And to take up two seats in a life boat_." Said Ned darkly.

Ben stood leaning against the railing, glaring at the horizon. It was gray and bleak, the sun just minutes away from breaking free of night. Stars were receding from the sky, fading into non-existence.

The Eternal felt a wave of agony crash through him. This was a curse and nothing more. The agony began to disappear almost as soon as it had come. A curse, a blessing, he didn't know anymore. They had done so much already in the world…surely that was worth it?

"_I just want a choice_…"

After that thought, they continued in silence, both thinking to themselves. "_Sorry about slipping_." Said Ben after awhile. He knew Ned didn't hold it against him, but felt he should break the silence growing quiet between them.

"_And I'm sorry for eating that extra steak at lunch_."

Ben gave a ghost of a smile. Together they made a full circle around the ship, and then stopped at the stop they began, heeding the Angel's word. They would wait. But they would also watch out for the Dutchman. Ben had a feeling that they would always be looking out for the Dutchman.

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I hope you all enjoyed this, since it was so over due. I hope to get a LOT more updates, but as you all know reviews help me type faster!


	11. Chapter 11

Sorry for the long wait, I've been having some beta problems, I think has been acting up so this chapter might be edited later. I don't think that much will change so everything will be alright. I've been really busy lately, but I'm bringing the prompts back in March. New stories everybody!

Also, Brian Jacques new Redwall book came out today. From the rumors I've heard, the next book he's working on is another Redwall. Guess we'll have to wait awhile before we get a new Castaways.

**Disclaimer **I have the script for the next Redwall book. If you want if back Mr. Jacques, your going to have to write another Castaways.

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Titanic

Chapter 11

Seamus was relieved when he saw Ben and Ned eating at breakfast the next morning. He had not seen them since noon the previous day, and although he had tried to wait up for them, they had not returned the previous night. When he had awoke, the bed had looked like it had been slept in, but he couldn't be completely sure. Ben's face looked serious and there were shadows under his eyes. He was eating slowly, gazing off into space as if in deep thought.

Susie pulled on his arm and he looked away from his friend and down at her. She pointed a slightly pudgy hand at the table, where Seamus could see Ned laying beside. He let her go and she ran across the room at full speed, giggling.

Ben was lifting a fork to his mouth when he heard the thump. Susie had appeared from nowhere and flung herself onto Ned. The dog lifted his head and gave him a look, but only said, "_You look terrible, try to smile_."

He tried following his dog's advice, but in the end he could only manage a grimace, so he gave up and continued eating. If Seamus asked, he would just avoid the question.

Seamus sat down across from them, plate laden with food. With a glance at Ben, he started spooning eggs into his mouth, and then looked up again. "Your eyes look different." He informed Ben.

Ben kept an even voice. "Do they? I didn't notice."

Seamus nodded and swallowed. "Yeah, they look almost like ice."

The pair didn't speak for the duration of breakfast. Seamus could tell he had hit a nerve and kept unusually quiet, telling himself it wasn't any of his business. Ben just frowned into his muffin.

"_I almost wish we didn't know. I can't even eat without thinking about it_." Ben thought moodily.

"_Well we do know about it and nothing we do can change that. It could happen today or tomorrow or any day this week. There's no use worrying about what's going to happen. Just be ready for it_!"

He knew his dog was right, but that didn't mean he liked it. They ate until full and then left the dining room. Seamus suggested that they go up on deck to get some fresh air and Ben agreed, despite the fact that he and Ned had spent most of the night up there.

They used the second-class stairway in hope that they would me up with Rachel. The Irish boy told his friend about the conversation he had had with her, and how they had arranged to have dinner together. Ben smiled and nodded, all the while wondering if his friend's friend would live. Although Seamus insisted that they checked the hallways, Rachel was nowhere to be found, and they continued their journey upwards.

"Oh yeah, I forgot!" exclaimed Seamus as they walked into the salt laced air. "Rachel found out what that First class brat's family name was. They're the Golds apparently traveling with their entire fortune to start anew in America." He paused and grinned. "Guess what their rich in?"

Ben shrugged. "Gold?"

"Exactly." A dreamy look came over Seamus's face and his eyes unfocused. "I wish I had all that gold. I could get anything I wanted."

Ben yawned behind his friend's back. It was a statement he and Ned had heard dozens of time before. In their experience one didn't need money to be happy.

Susie saw Ben's yawn and pointed at him. "He sleepy."

"_She talks_!" thought Ned in mock astonishment.

Seamus seemed slightly surprised and a bit confused. "You're the sleepy one, your not making sense."

"So what would you do with all that money?" asked Ben, wanting to change that topic.

"I would buy this ship." Said Seamus without hesitation.

"As if you could afford a rowboat let alone a ship." Said a voice from behind.

They turned. Behind them was the rich boy from before, Gold.

"_You know this is really pointless. What have we ever done to him? So I took a few snaps at him and growled a bit. That doesn't mean he follows us looking to take revenge_."

"_He's probably bored. Besides you forgot about what Seamus did to him_." At the thought of the prank Ben's mouth gave a small twitch, a movement the other boy picked up on.

"Even your friend thinks what I said was funny."

Ben flicked a loose strand of hair out of his eyes and said in a light casual tone, "Oh I was just remembering the look on your face when my dog almost attacked you."

Seamus grinning appreciably while Susie watched Ned who was growing softly. The Gold boy's face turned a light shade of red, but he managed to speak anyway. "Well there are too many people around for you to try that again!" he spat.

"_Is he mental? There's less people here than last time. I'll give you a minute to finish up here Ben and then I'm going to give this boy a bit of exercise_. _We're at sea, they can't throw us off now_!"

Ben gave a mental sigh, something he found himself doing more often. "_Fine, but don't hurt him and don't get us in trouble_."

Aloud however he said, "Its not up to me what my friend here does. Everything he does is of his free will."

The would-be tormentor snorted. "That worthless mutt is your friend?"

Ben tried his hardest to keep a straight face, listening to Ned's mental counting. "_Fourteen, fifteen, sixty_!" Ned lunged, hackles raised and mouth foaming. "_I'll catch up with you later Ben_!"

The boy turned and nearly tripped, but regained his balance and sprinted off. Seamus ran forward. "Come on, I don't want to miss this!"

Ben stayed where he was, leaning against the railing; looking out to sea, face serious again. "Go on and try, but I doubt you'll catch up."

"We'll see about that." He ran off after the Labrador, leaving Susie with Ben.

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Sorry for the filler, but I thought it would be funny to leave Ben with a four year old.

**Review!**


	12. Chapter 12

I know, I'm sorry. I won't waste too time with this. I have decided to come back to this site after being absent so long. My NaNo has been most of my writing time, but lately I've come back to the world of Castaways, with new urges to write. Here's a long awaited chapter 12.

**Disclaimer** Don't let the Dutchman see you reading this. O_o

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Titanic

Chapter 12

Ben continued to stare out to sea until he felt a tug on his shirt. Looking down, he saw Susie standing next to him. "I got to go potty." Said the four year old.

Caught completely off guard, he smiled. "Excuse me?"

She tugged his shirt again. "I gotta go potty!" she insisted.

The smile slipped from the boy's face. "Oh, um, okay." Ben took her hand and led her inside, shaking his head slightly. Here he was, over three hundred years old and he had absolutely no experience with four year olds. It would seem that Seamus had one-upped him unknowingly.

He reached the women's restroom with a complete lost at what to do next. Could Susie go in by herself? He glanced around, hoping to see someone to go in with her, when he saw Rachel about to turn a corner further down the hall.

"Hey Rachel!" he called out and she turned to look at Ben questioningly.

He motioned for her to come over and came hesitantly. "Can I help you?"

She didn't say it rudely, and it was clear that she had somewhere else to be, but Ben sensed something else. It was almost like she was weary of him.

"Um, Susie has to use the restroom…"

"Oh." She said, and grabbed Susie's hand and led her into the restroom, leaving Ben alone with his thoughts once more.

Why was Rachel acting strangely towards him? Ned had been with him for nearly three hundred years and hadn't noticed the change, most likely because he himself was affected by it, but both Seamus and Rachel had. They both knew something was wrong, simply by being around him. Ben fixed a smile on his face and was determined to keep it there. Ned was right, worrying would only make things worse.

Rachel came out then, and handed Susie over to Ben without a second glance at him, and left in silence. Taking the younger girl's hand in his, he motioned back outside. "Let's go try and find your brother."

As it turned out, they did not find Ned, or Seamus until late afternoon, while enjoying a very late lunch. Ben spent most of the afternoon wandering the ship , spending his time between pretending that hundreds of people weren't going to die, and getting Seamus ready for his date. He tried helping Seamus out as much as he could, but as Ned had mentioned when Seamus had first brought the subject up, Ben's advice was a bit out-dated. It had been over a century since he had last dated, and it hadn't exactly ended well.

Seamus gritted his teeth. "Why does time always speed up when you're not ready for something?" He moaned.

"_Don't I know it_." Aloud he said, "Don't forget this was your idea."

Seamus scowled. "I know but I didn't think I'd be this nervous."

"You'll be fine." Ben assured his friend.

"Oh God, I have to go!" Cried Seamus grabbed Susie's hand and half dragged, half carried her down the hall. A moment later he was back looking desperately at Ben. "Would you?"

Ben shrugged. "I suppose I can manage."

Ned just grunted. "_Angel, please don't let the ship sink while we're babysitting_."

Sighing, Ben steered Susie in the direction of an old grandfather clock set up at the end of the hallway. He wasn't really all that hungry, but anything to distract himself.

"_Sailing is a lot different now-a-days_." Commented Ned thoughtfully. "_I always thought passengers must get bored during voyages_."

"_We've been passengers before_." replied Ben, slight surprised at his dog's thought.

"_Aye but we're usually either posing as part of the crew or being chased by pirates_."

It was five-twenty, and it would be another ten minutes before dinner would be laid out. They walked until they found an empty bench. Sitting down, Ben massaged his forehead, his cloudy eyes closed. Thinking hurt, he was already wishing he could go to sleep. All the fatigue he had felt the previous night was finally catching up to him.

He opened his eyes a crack. Susie was sitting next to him, her short little legs dangling over the edge of the bench. Then she slowly lowered herself down and ran across the hall to the place where Ned had plopped himself down. Ben smiled tiredly as he heard his dog's thoughts when Susie began to scratch his belly. "_Mmhhh, oh yes, right there, don't stop_."

Ben closed his eyes, momentarily content, but opened them very quickly. When he had shut his eyes, visions of the Flying Dutchman had filled his mind. Ned too opened his eyes and sat up, ignoring Susie who was still trying, unsuccessfully, to rub the Labrador's belly. "Let's do to dinner." Said Ben.

* * *

First off, I know this chapter was short, but the next chapter will be much much longer, I had to cut it in half, this being the shorter end of the stick.

Second, I like to remind everyone of the poll on my profile, "Who will did in Titanic?" Your votes might just make me change the ending. !!! If anyone wants to send me a pm about how they think this epic should end, please send me word.

And Lastly,as always, please review. Reviews do make me work faster.


	13. Chapter 13

I meant to update a long time ago but I lost the notebook I had this story written in and only just found it two days ago outside my bedroom door. Strange. Anywho, this chapter is longer than to the others so that's the good news.

The bad news is that Brian Jacques is writing yet another Redwall book, so we won't be getting another Castaways any time soon.

I've noticed that I've been writing Ben a lot differently then I usually do in this story, mainly the last few chapters. It feels different, but somehow more real to me, as if this is how I would act in a similar situation. From this point on, the story begins to pick up the pace. There's only a few more chapters until the ship starts taking on water.

If you read all that, kudos to you.

** Disclaimer **This story may not be used as a flotation device. Please make your way to the nearest lifeboat.

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Titanic

Chapter 13

When the three of them reached the dinning room, Susie gave a small squeal of delight and ran to a slightly harried woman who was sitting at a side table. "Well hello Susie." Said the woman smiling. "Where's your brother?"

Ben stepped forward offering a smile. He had never actually met Seamus's mother; it had been dark every time he had been in the room with her so far, and he was curious to find out what kind of woman would be so absent from her children's side for the entire length of the voyage. She was about the same height as him, with red hair and eyes as black as her son's.

"He had a dinner date, so I'm watching Susie tonight. Ned too." Ned was sniffing the air; tail wagging in anticipation of a hot meal.

"Aha." She stated, understanding sparkling in her eyes. "So your our cabin mate. Seamus explained the situation to me the other day."

"_I wonder what story he told her. Go on, ask_!"

He did, trying to word it so as any story could fit the context.

"Yes, I was a little surprised that a ship as organized as this could have made a mistake such as to misplace you, but I'm glad you got placed in a room in a bunk. Wouldn't want you sleeping outside!" she paused to draw a breath, in which Ned commented, "_Looks like he lied. Can't say I blame the fellow_."

"_Not that we can judge, seeing how we lie on a daily bases. In another century we'll be the best liars around_."

"_Not to mention the holiest_."

Seamus's mother cut off further comment with Ned by saying, "I'll take Susie so you and your dog can get some food. I'm sure I can handle her for a few minutes." She said it jokingly, but once again did Ben wonder if this was the first time she had been with Susie and that if she was trying to make up for it. "_Still, I guess the parents need a break everyone once in awhile._" He thought t himself as he went to get food for Ned and himself.

Ben sat across from Seamus's mother once he had gotten their food. He wondered how he could have gone the entire voyage without seeing her once, and decided it was the perfect chance to find out. Especially since they shared a room. Ned had taken his usual spot under the table, and was gnawing on a bone one of the cooks had given to him.

The strange boy glanced down at his almost empty plate. The older woman across from him noticed his plate and raised an eyebrow. "Not hungry?"

He shook his head. "No ma'am. I had a late lunch."

She frowned slightly. "Call me Trish. People called my mother ma'am and I'm not nearly as old as she was."

"So…Trish, how have you been enjoying the ship?" In the back of his mind a voice (No, not Ned) said to enjoy while you can because it won't be here much longer.

Her eyes brightened somewhat and she began to stroke Susie's hair. "Oh I've been exploring her thoroughly from top to bottom. I doubt I'll ever be on a ship this size again so I'm trying to make the most of it. I even took a trip into the boiler room, but I got caught and brought back up deck. Apparently its dangerous down there."

"_That would explain why we haven't seen her_." Thought Ned. "_We've spent most of our time up on deck_."

"But to tell the truth," She continued conversationally, "I've been spending a great deal of time in the second class library teaching myself to read." She turned a bright shade of red as she said it.

Ben always felt slightly embarrassed when meeting illiterate people. His language skills had been given to him, he had never had to learn anything. He had also assumed that Seamus had been to school, but apparently he hadn't or at least not much. "That's good," Was all he said to her.

"Yes, I've been practicing writing today," And she pulled out some small scraps of paper from her pocket. On them, the name _Trish_ was scrawled childishly, as if the writer wasn't used to holding a pencil.

Ben smiled encouragingly "You'll be writing in no time!"

Trish turned out to be the kind of person who always had something to talk about, if given the opportunity. The Eternal was glad that he didn't have to talk, only nod or shake his head when the need arose. His mind began to wander as the topic changed once again.

They were five floors away from the top deck. If something were to happen, a fire, or anything, they'd be the last to the lifeboats. Cold seemed to emanate from the walls enveloping, chilling him to the bone. He shivered and stood up abruptly, causing Trish to stop talking in mid-flow.

"I just remembered I have somewhere to be. Please excuse me." Ned came up from his spot under the table as Ben spoke, and they proceeded to walk out of the dinning room without waiting for a response, leaving Susie and her mother, along with a plate of untouched food.

They walked mindlessly down a corridor, not really paying any attention to where they were going. Occasionally they passed people, but mostly they kept to themselves. After a while of wandering, they stopped. Ben reckoned they were somewhere in the second-class area, but wasn't completely sure. He sat down against the wall and began to scratch Ned behind the ear.

Searching around for a topic to distract himself, he asked, "_Did you find anything interesting on your run today_?"

"_Well, once that spoiled brat had locked himself in his room, I started to try finding our cabin. I was over the bow of the ship on our floor when I heard barking. A few halls away I found the kennels. There's about a score of 'em down there_."

Ben screwed up his eyes. The headache he had been suppressing was coming back in full force. He hoped he wasn't getting sick. Now was not the time. "_We'll save them Ned. Don't worry about that_."

He opened his eyes and looked around. "You know where we are?"

Ned nodded and stood up. Ben followed him until a minute later they were outside. They began to circle the ship; such was becoming their custom. Both noted the colder climate and increase of the ship's speed. Soon Ben's fingers grew numb, and they retreated back indoors.

It was still early, but Ben felt that any minute he was going to collapses in tiredness. "You're not going to use me as a pillow thank you very much!" stated Ned and the boy gave a small smile. After trudging downwards and through several turns, they reached their cabin.

They went in, and were surprised to find Seamus lying on his bunk, staring at the ceiling. Ben knocked on the wall and said, "You alive up there mate?"

Seamus looked down at the pair in surprise. "Oh, I didn't hear you come in. Where's Susie?"

"With your mum." Answered Ben as he crossed over to his bed.

"No offence, but you look a wreck."

Ben forced a chuckle. "Nothing a bit of sleep won't cure." Kicking off is shoes, he glanced up at Seamus. "Mind if I turn off the light?

Seamus just shook his head, which wasn't like him. Switching off the light, he ducked under the bunk and lay down. Ned jumped up and made himself comfortable on Ben's knees. The word pillow floated to the lad's mind, but he didn't say anything to his faithful hound.

A few minutes passed. His mind wouldn't let him get the rest he so dearly wanted. They had survived another day, but would the ship survive another? Then Seamus surprised him by speaking aloud. "Have you ever been in love?"

Ben groaned mentally. That topic was off limits. What should he say? Should he lie? Fein sleep? Then he surprised himself by speaking.

"Yes."

Shocked, he listened for Seamus's reaction, but all he heard was steady breathing. Seamus was asleep, leaving Ben wide awake, thinking thoughts he hardly ever let himself think.

* * *

Way to go Seamus. Way to take away a much needed night's rest. You life kinda depends on it. Y'know, if I don't decide to ax him off in the first place. I'm still deciding.

Reviewers will get cake!


	14. Chapter 14

Here, have a new chapter.

**Disclaimer:** Do not read while operating heavy machinery.

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Titanic

Chapter 14

Breakfast the next morning was a slow affair. Realizing that they had indeed lived through the night, Ned decided to eat breakfast like it was his last. Ben too found himself hungry. Daylight had lessened his fears, though the knot in his stomach was not entirely gone.

Over the meal, Seamus gave Ben a very detailed description of the night before, though the blue-eyed boy wasn't really listening. When the pair had ventured out on deck, both had noticed the sudden drop of temperature from the day before. Since Ben's visions seemed to emphasize the coldness of the event, both boy and dog used it as a marker for the up-coming event. The relief was that it was not yet as cold as it would be, but it couldn't be too far off now. It would only be a couple of days before they reached New York.

"Ben, are you listening to me or talking with Ned?" asked Seamus, slightly annoyed that his friend wasn't hanging on his every word.

Though he had been looking at Ned, he had not been communicating with the dog. "Of course I'm not talking with Ned." He answered truthfully, for once.

"Well I was just asking you what we were going to do today. My mom has Susie for the day so I'm free to do whatever."

Ben opened his mouth, prepared to make something up on the spot when Ned interjected. "_I know what we're going to do today_."

"_Mind telling me_?"

"_When we get outside_."

Deciding that Ned hadn't been known to let him down yet, didn't question the statement. Instead, he said aloud, "Let's go on deck and see if we can spot any icebergs."

Seamus looked at him funny. "Icebergs? What makes you think we'll see any?"

"We're pretty far north. It won't be long before the sea is chock full of them."

The Irish boy grinned. "Well, it's a good thing we're on an unsinkable ship then isn't!"

Outside a cold wind was blowing, causing the strange lad to give an involuntary shiver. Seamus glanced around, then turned to go back in. "Nope, no icebergs out here. Let's go back inside!"

Ned however had other plans. The Labrador darted over to Seamus and snatched something white that was hanging out of the back of his pocket. "Ned, drop it." Said Ben flatly. He wasn't amused by his dog's idea.

The dog trotted away, tail held high in the air, wagging it lazily. "I told you I was going to whip you two into shape. Come and catch me!"

Seamus, who was turning a bright shade of red, took a step forward.

Ned bolted, Seamus only a second behind.

Ben took off at a slow jog, knowing full well that it would be impossible to catch Ned if he didn't want to be caught, but he figured eventually the dog would get tired and slacken his pace. The Labrador dodged and wove through passengers, even dashing in-between one man's legs; knocking him over.

Laughter reached Ben's ears as he reached the man who had fallen over. Mumbling a quick apology without stopping, he ducked under a woman's elbow as he continued. They were heading towards the stern of the ship; meaning Ned would soon be making his way to the other side of the ship.

Taking a sudden turn, Ben ran through a door and began to make his way to the other side of the ship. Pushing past people, he saw the opening leading to the outside. Throwing himself through the doorway, he hit the ground rolling only to stand a moment later directly in Ned's path.

Ned didn't stop, but instead leapt onto Ben, pushing him to the ground. "_You're going to have to do better that if your going to catch me_."

Ben reached out to grab the dog's paw but Ned was already gone, pelting down the deck. The Eternal picked himself up just as Seamus came puffing along. He was glaring at the dog before starting along again, muttering something about a new fur coat.

The tow headed lad surveyed the chase as it began again. He wondered how long Ned was going to keep this up.

"_Forever. Or when Seamus finally drops_."

Ben grimaced. Ned had forever to run, Seamus didn't.

"Ben!"

The youth blinked as Ned ran right past him. He lunged but missed by inches. Seamus nearly collided with him and tripped trying to avoid hitting the door gap. Ned dropped the hankie, barked once before picking it back up and running down the steps. Seamus stood up and lent against the banister, watching Ned descend floor after floor.

Seamus glanced over enviously at the elevators, only to receive a disapproving look at the operator. Ben walked over to the staircase. It was the main second class one, spiraled and leading straight downwards. "Come on, going down won't be nearly as hard as it would be going up."

The Eternal started his descent, with Seamus close behind. They reached the Lower Deck (name of the floor six floors below) in a matter of minutes. Ben sent out a thought, unsure if Ned could hear it. "_Ned, if you run back up these stairs, I will _let _Seamus lock you in the cabin during lunch_."

The threat went unanswered, and they reached the landing of an unexplored level. "Are we on our floor?" asked Seamus, glancing around.

"The one below it I think." Answered Ben.

Seamus turned his head one way and then the other, looking down the two corridors branching off the one they were on. "Which way do you think he went then?"

Ben shrugged. "Only one way to find out mate. You go one way and I'll go the other."

He took the right while Seamus took the left. He continued down the hall until he encountered another fork. Ben stood, undecided on whether or not to turn around and go back the way he came when he noticed a door that was ajar. Upon closer inspection he could read the label "Engine Room".

Ben crept forward, peering through the door. A grinding noise could be heard from inside and the floor shook from the force of what was moving the ship. Hesitating, wondering why he was doing so, he reached for the handle.

* * *

This chapter is a set up for the next one, which is one of my favorites. I hope you enjoyed!


	15. Chapter 15

There, finally got this out. Read on, I'll ramble at the end.

**Disclaimer **Please deposit twenty-five cents.

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Titanic

Chapter 15

Ben knew that Ned wouldn't have wondered into such a dangerous area, or at least not without telling him first. He hesitated, wondering if it would be better to discuss this with Ned first. On the other hand, Ned was nowhere to be found, and the door might not be unlocked in an hour's time.

Taking a quick look around to make sure the coast was clear, Ben swiftly pushed the door open and stepped inside. He squinted as he shut the door behind him and let his eyes adjust to the lighting. The only light in the room came from a row of red lights mounted along the ceiling. Shadowy figures could be seen working different levers and pieces of machinery, and no one noticed as the youth as he made his way to the room beyond.

The next room was massive, and easily the largest he had ever been in. The turbines were impossible to miss, continuously moving up and down, powering the entire ship. Ben stood awed by the machine; never before had he seen such a force in motion, up, down, shaking the floor with its power.

His mind turned to the smoke stacks billowing smoke and then to his conversation with Seamus's mother. She had said she had been thrown out of the boilers. For the turbines to be powered, the boilers would have to be close by.

Slowly he moved, careful to keep to the shadows. He didn't know exactly why he was creeping into a restricted area; there was a strange lure to it, or maybe he just wanted a distraction. The Eternal ducked under a lever sticking out from the wall, and almost ran into a box labeled "High Voltage".

Ben left the engine room. He was starting to receive strange looks and someone had been walking towards him when he had slipped through another door. The youth found it hard to breath in his new surroundings. Foul smelling smoke hung I the air and the strange boy had to hold an arm to his mouth to continue.

The temperature had risen dramatically and a bead of sweat dripped down his face. A loud clanging sound was coming from nearby, and Ben found himself emerging into firelight. Men stained black from soot were bent over large metal ovens, continuously shoveling coal into small openings. Fire would belch forth each time more fuel was added, though the men seemed impervious to the extreme heat.

Ben took a step forward and was knocked aside by a shirtless giant of a man pushing a wheelbarrow of coal. "Git out of the way." Snarled the man, glaring down at Ben, who had tripped and was lying on the floor. A burst of sparks burst from one of the ovens and landed on his bareback. He didn't flinch, but called out in a commanding tone, "Kepler, git that fire under control, someone must of released the built up steam in the engine room. Buck, get this boy out of here!"

Suddenly Ben was pulled up by his armpits. Turning, the boy saw an equally large man to the one who had spoken. Buck, he presumed. The man's face wasn't as hard as the man who had spoken was, but it was creased with strain. "Come on," He said in a gruff, but not unkind voice. He pulled Ben away from the flames now shooting from an opening. "Gotta get you away from here." He steered the Eternal back towards the way he had come in.

He stopped though when a wall of steam came billowing into the room. Ben's eyes widened as a figure formed from the shadows and mist. Cackling filled the boy's mind as he heard words, not aloud but from his very soul. "_The Sea will take this ship, and you along with it. Then I shall have you_."

Buck saw fear in the boy's icy eyes and realized something was wrong. Steering him backwards in the opposite direction, he half led, half dragged Ben to a ladder set into the wall. "Up you get." He grunted, lifting Ben onto the first rung. Forcing his limbs in motion, he pulled himself up hand over hand to the top, practically dragging himself over the edge. Stumbling up, he ran to a door and wrenched it open.

Vanderdecken's voice still echoed in his mind, and he continued to run down empty corridors, knowing full well that he was in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. He had nowhere to run to.

* * *

Ben found Ned, or rather Ned found him, wandering around on their floor. Lunch had been skipped they both figured that it would soon be dinnertime. He knew Ned felt bad about not being in the boilers when Ben needed him most, but the boy didn't lay the blame on his friend. He had no idea what had possessed him to go into a restricted area, and it was his own fault.

What the Dutchman had said haunted him. Hell itself knew the ship was doomed. Did that mean everything was already decided? Was his and Ned's own fate already sealed? Ben didn't know. What he did know was that Ned was hungry.

Seamus was waiting for him in the dinning hall. Dinner was a beef stew, thick and served with crusty bread. The blue-eyed boy was grateful when Seamus handed him a bowl.

"You look a mess mate. You need soup." Ben nodded in thanks, only now noticing the charred holes in his jacket.

"I took a trip to the boilers and got caught." Said Ben before Seamus could ask.

Seamus raised an eyebrow. "I thought we were looking for Ned?"

Wordlessly Ben drew the white handkerchief from his pocket and handed it over to Seamus.

"Thanks."

* * *

Seamus kept up a one sided conversation throughout the meal; determined not to let silence grow between them. The Irish boy could tell Ben was withdrawing into himself; it was if a shadow had fallen over his friend's mind. Tomorrow, he would find something exciting to do to distract his friend from whatever was troubling him.

Ben's spoon clattered into the empty bowl as he dropped it, finished with the meal. Ned sauntered over to the table, done with his food rounds. "We're going for quick turn around the ship. Wanna come?"

Seamus nodded, putting aside his almost finished bowl. "Sure, mum's got Susie for the night so I'm free."

As they climbed the many stairs up to the top deck, he wondered what could make his friend so weary. A twinge of unease settled upon him as they walked into the cold night air. Whatever it was, he hoped it wouldn't involve his family.

* * *

Less than a day away, the _Flying Dutchman_ sailed onwards from the far North, floating easily over chunks of ice. Closer, to its Castaways.

* * *

Only two more chapters until Part 3!

Ugh, school starts Tuesday, holy crap. Where has my summer gone? Oh yeah, I spent it running and sleeping. Everyday I'm up at the crack of dawn to run, then I get back and nap. Today I did eight miles. This school year will be busy, what with it being senior year and all, but this story will plow on, I'll make time I suppose. I'll finish this ramble with a book review, something I usually don't do, but this was a good book. Its called I am Number Four and even though its only been out for a month, its already going to become a movie. I would definitely look it up.

Its like Daniel X, but much better. Happy reading and don't forget to review!


	16. Chapter 16

I'm sorry this took so long to come out, I know its been months.

It's just that my parents divorced a couple of weeks ago and the new lifestyle is sapping the free time out of the small chunk I had before. I posted this instead of going to bed at a decent time, but who needs to get into college right?

**Disclaimer** Reading this story will not cause hearing loss, if you pour a circle of salt around your computer. I'm just saying.

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Titanic Chapter 16

Ben awoke to utter blissfulness. He lay awake for a moment, staring at the metal bunk frame above him and wondered where he was and what he was doing here. Finally, the vibrations of the ship jolted his memory and he became much more awake. He rolled over and realized the light was on; the shade of the upper bunk had shielded him from the light, but it appeared by Seamus's snores he could sleep through anything.

"_So you're finally awake are you_?" Ned was lying on the bunk across from him, head on his paws.

"_What time is it_?"

Ned seemed to consider the question for a moment before saying, "_Breakfast time_."

The youth snorted. "_When is it not for you_?"

The Labrador blinked. "_Its not Breakfast if its Lunch and Dinner time. And I suppose when there's no food about_."

"_Funny, that's a situation that we find ourselves much too often_."

"_True, so let's not feel like that now. Wake up Seamus_!"

Ben raised his legs and began kicking the bed above him. "Seamus, wake up! Ned's hungry!"

The Dining Hall was as noisy as ever, and the mountain of pastries was a very welcoming site. Food obtained (Ned carrying a muffin in his mouth.), they sat down and began to eat while Ben told Seamus of his trip to the boilers. Seamus listened intently, though he seemed annoyed that he had missed out.

"I always miss out on all the excitement." Said Seamus dejectedly.

"_Stick around a little longer and you'll see all the excitement you want_." Came Ned's thought invading Ben's brain, but he ignored the statement, despite how true it was.

"Alright then, what do you want to do today?"

Seamus considered the question for a moment before saying, quite casually, "We could see what Rachel is up to."

Turning so his friend wouldn't see his smile, Ben said, "It's Sunday morning, Rachel would be having Service at the moment."

Seamus sighed dejectedly and said, "Well I guess we could explore the bottom of the ship. We haven't done that yet."

"_Great, just the place I want to be when the ship starts sinking. Right at the bottom of the ship_!"

As they descended the stairs, Seamus told Ben of the rumors he had heard about the cargo hold being haunted. Ben dismissed this as simple scuttlebutt; inexperienced sailors bored with their work, often told ghost stories to frighten passengers. As far as he knew, there was only one ghost story out there on the sea that was true. He and Ned were living proof of that one.

Two floors down from the last stateroom, they reached the bottom of the permitted area. They ignored a DANGER, do not enter sign and ventured deeper into the ship, until reaching a dead end wall with a heavy metal sliding door.

"You'suppose this is it?" asked Seamus.

For answer, Ben gripped the metal door handle and put his weight against its side. It slowly slid open until it was wide enough for the boys and dog to slip through.

Inside was dark until Ben found the light box. Rows of light bulbs hanging from the ceiling slowly flickered on, one by one illuminating the massive room one part at a time. Crates were stacked against the walls and they made up columns out in the middle of the room. Ropes attached to hooks on the floor kept the crates from sliding about. Words were painted or stamped upon them, many of which were upside down. Other doors led off into which the youth guessed were other storage places.

Ben, Ned, and Seamus walked further into the room after Ben shut the door, and began to wander around the maze of boxes. The Eternal noticed Seamus staring at a box labeled 'Candles'. Before he could ask what Seamus wanted candles for, Seamus asked a question of his own.

"Hey Ben, do you know how to read?"

"Yeah, I was taught in a church." He lied. It wasn't like he could tell Seamus that it came naturally with understanding. "What do you want to know?"

"Which one of these says gold?" He asked the question innocently enough, but Ben's face turned stern.

"Seamus, you are _not_ stealing any gold, or anything else for that matter."

Seamus scuffled his feat sheepishly. "I wasn't, it was just a joke.

Ned trotted down the isle, stating, "_Steal any gold and you'll sink straight to the bottom. Hey Ben, isn't the Gold's entire fortune on this ship? They'll be penniless at the end of this voyage_!"

"_You're assuming that they all live the sinking_."

Ned strutted off, head held high. "_Well if you want to be all serious, be my guest_."

Seamus kept asking Ben what certain boxes said; spoons, fragile, explosive (which Ben assumed was alcohol). It was early afternoon by the time they emerged from the storage unit, dusty but happy.

They had explored over half a dozen rooms filled with a large variety of trade and goods. Ben had also given Seamus some reading lessons of his own, as much to distract himself from being in the bottom of the ship. They made their way upwards for tea, and Ben noticed that Ned had retreated into silence, which was most unlike him. He didn't push it though, after all, he himself had gone through the same thing the other day.

Tea was simple, hot chocolate with cheese sandwiched between two slices of bread. They ate quickly and dropped by the cabin, Seamus figuring that his mother might of dropped Susie off there. She was, fast asleep in Seamus's bed. Gently he prodded her awake. Susie glared at him before closing her eyes again.

"Susie, we're not staying here. Promise me you'll stay in the cabin until either mum or I come get you."

"Promise." Whispered Susie before her breathing slowed in sleep.

Seamus straightened up, mild concern on his face. "She must not be feeling well if she's this tired."

"Let her sleep." Said Ben, guessing that Seamus was probably half relieved about not having to drag her about the rest of the day. "What do you want to do next?" He grinned. "Or see?"

Seamus grinned back. "I think you know."

The party of three stepped out into the freezing night air, having finally just left Rachel's cabin. Under the excuse of having to return her handkerchief, he had knocked on her cabin door. She had then asked them if they had had their tea yet. Not missing an excuse to be with the girl, he had told her they hadn't and she let them in. None of them ate much, and Ben began to theorize that Rachel too had lied about not already having tea, but he kept his opinion to himself. Besides, he argued with himself as he had taken a bite of scones. What harm could some extra food do? Rachel even appeared to be a good scratcher according to Ned, and he rarely left her side while they were there.

_Titanic's_ lights dazzled Ben's eyes in the darkness. The water was the calmest he had ever seen it on their journey and it reflected the stars perfectly. A gust of cold air blew his tow colored hair back and sending shivers down his spine and sending words into Ben's ears.

"There they are! That's the dog that bit me! My father wants it destroyed."

Ben turned to see two officers striding towards them, and behind him, a triumphant grinning boy. Gold.

* * *

Finally, they climax begins! Thank you all for sticking to this story for so long, I know their on the Titanic and its still not sinking, but its only one more chapter and the climax begins now.

Please tell me what you think, flames will be accepted and deleted accordingly. :)


	17. Chapter 17

Not much to report. I procrastinate and exams were last week.

**Disclaimer **Look down. Now left. Now right. Just just read in my voice. Now read the story.**  
**

* * *

Titanic

Chapter 17

The next thing Ben heard was Ned's indignant thought rebounding inside his head. "_That filthy-flea ridden little liar! I did no such thing. At least not yet_!" As glad as he was to see a little life in his friend, now was not the time. They had more pressing matters to worry about.

Over the years, he and Ned had made a golden rule that applied to being stowaways, and were careful to always enforce it. Don't get caught. The two crew members had already crossed half the deck between them, and it would be seconds until they would be within grabbing distance. Without giving a second thought Ben grabbed Seamus's arm and whipped him around.

"Run!"

Ned passed them easily, and Ben bit his lip as the icy wind cut into them as they ran. If they stayed outside, they would be caught. Skidding to a halt, Ben stumbled into a doorway, Seamus right behind him and Ned doubling back before streaking past them both.

The glass dome of a ceiling hung above them; the walls were lined with swirls and carvings of clouds. Columns were evenly spaced at intervals throughout the room. Below them was the Grand Staircase, carved mahogany with red velvet covering every stair, matching the golden clock that was embedded into the wall.

Ben leapt down the steps five at a time, ignoring the stares and gasps he, Ned, and Seamus were attracting. Seamus practically flew down the staircase, taking it six steps at a time. The blonde headed boy landed on the polished floor clumsily, slipping to his knees. He turned around just in time to see their pursuers enter the room. The official pair saw them at once; two wrongfully dressed boys and a black dog standing out from a room full of people in tuxes and expensive dresses.

"_Look out Ben, here they come_!"

The two men began to descend.

The Eternal got up and dashed around the staircase where another one led to the floors below. They descended faster than Ben would of dared at any other time, but safety wasn't the main concern at the moment. If one of them tripped, then it would be the end of running for the said person.

The small group reached as far as the first-class staircase went, before turning off to a side corridor. Predictably the first-class hallways were more furnished than the third classes were, Ben had never seen such luxury on a ship. The youth rounded the corner and his quick blue eyes saw the obstacle a second before Seamus did, but a second was all it took. Seamus collided with someone and they both went sprawling. Ben recognized the other boy on the ground as the older Gold boy he had seen on his first day on the ship.

Pounding footsteps could be heard from behind them and they couldn't afford to lose their head start. Pulling up a giggling Seamus, he started to run when he felt something grab his ankle. The Gold boy had a snarl on his face and unstable glint in his eye. He let go as Ned snapped at him.

Without waiting to see what the rich boy's reaction would be, he started a sprint. Once more they found another flight of stairs, taking them still deeper into the ship. Every time he rounded a corner he could see the men behind them, catching up. They burst into a large empty room; the first-class dining room Ben thought, judging by the tables and crystal glasses. From here, it was a flat out run to the other side. Knowing it was a risk to continue and not taking the chance to hide, he carried on, following Ned.

Behind them Ben could hear the doors swing open, revealing their pursuers to be right on their heels. He had a plan, but part of it relied on chance. Slamming into the swinging doors and stumbling, Ben told Ned to find the nearest staircase.

"_I read your thought_," said Ned as they ran. "_Its risky but they're gaining on us anyway. Well, gaining on you, but I guess since you've been labeled as my owner, you'll be in trouble too_."

"_Ned, which floor does the elevator stop at_?"

"_This one_!"

Ben jolted to a stop before flying down the next flight. "Seamus, this way!" The Eternal ran to the only elevator that wasn't barred with a safety gate for the night and jumped in. As soon as Seamus and Ned got in, the two men appeared at the bottom of the steps. They shouted something at them before flinging themselves towards the elevator.

Ben slammed the gates closed and flipped the lock on, right before flattening himself against the back wall. The sailor's arms squeezed through the gaps in the metal, clawing at the three of them. Seamus grabbed a lever and pushed it upwards. The whole compartment gave a shudder before moving upwards.

The arms withdrew themselves quickly and one of the men called for them to stop. Ben slumped against the wall and let out something between a laugh and a wheeze. Seamus leaned against Ned and let out a whistle. The black Labrador let out a snort and moved out from underneath the Irish boy.

"_While you pups are taking a break, the men have probably already started back up. This won't buy us as much time as you think_."

Ben raised an eyebrow. "_Won't it? You're forgetting that they have to run all the way back up and while they might be strong enough for that, I doubt they'll be ready for what I have planned next_."

The elevator pinged as they reached the top floor; adjacent to the dome roomed they had run through first. Seamus made as if to unlock the gate but Ben grabbed his arm to stop him. "Hold it, I have another idea."

A minute later the two crewmen appeared, both out of breath and cursing. Ben waited until the two men had sighted them before pulling down on the lever.

Five minutes later Ben, Ned, and Seamus burst onto a deserted piece of deck. Both boys collapsed in a fit of laughter and exhaustion. Even Ned laid down, tongue hanging out and panting. Steam rose from his black coat, same as with Ben and Seamus's hair. Still chuckling, Ben rolled onto his back and stared upwards at the sky.

It was a cloudless night and there were thousands of stars in the sky. He could clearly see the swirl of space weaving through night. He was warm, immune to the now freezing temperatures. Ben felt good.

A few feet away Ben heard Seamus move, and figured he should probably get up also. All too soon the cold would set in. Standing and stretching, Ben turned to his friend who was staring out to sea. There was a frown on the boy's face.

"What's wrong mate?" asked Ben. The good feeling was fading and slowing he was beginning to feel the cold.

Seamus turned to look at him, confusion on his face. He pointed out at the cold desolate sea. "Ben, do you know what that is?"

Ben turned and fear rooted him to the spot.

Far out on the edge of the horizon, was an ominous green glow.

End of Part 2

* * *

Only one more part to go. Plenty of chapters though you lucky sea dogs.


	18. Chapter 18

I just typed this all in one sitting and now I need to go to sleep. I'm am so happy that its light longer and its dark in the mornings. It makes me feel like such a badass when I'm up and its dark out. As usual I'm sorry about how long this took, blah blah blah, I'm sure you all all sick of me apologizing and wish I would just post more often but I'm doing the best I can.

This point on, the chapters are going to be longer, and I'll be making some changes to the original script. I can tell you now, what I have planned for Ned I had no intention of doing. But I believe it will be much better this way, as well as make for sense later. Y'know, if I actually know what I'm doing.

**Disclaimer **My sister just got a fanfiction profile and says she hates writing disclaimers. I don't know why, they are so much fun to write! When you actually disclaim something that is.

* * *

For anybody who does not yet know, Brian Jacques died in February. More info can be found on Redwalldotorg, or Redwallwiki.

RIP: Brian Jacques, I like to think you would of enjoyed this story.

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Part 3 ~ The Sinking

Titanic

Chapter 18

April 14, 1912 ~ 11:40pm

"Seamus, look away…" It was all Ben had time to say before a shadow fell over the deck and something jarred the ship so violently that Ben collapsed to the deck floor.  
"_Ben_!"

The youth heard his faithful dog's cry as he hit the ground, but already his mind was being whisked away, through the centuries, before finally coming to rest on the deck of the _Flying Dutchman_. A few feet away stood the Angel, just as vivid as it had been in his last dream. It raised it's sword and called out; its voice clear and commanding.

The ship will sink

Its fate is sealed

Forever gone

But one will wield

To save a life

You must now hurry

To make it back

You must not tarry

As soon as the harp-like voice had died out, Ben's mind was jolted back into reality. No more than a second had past.

"What the hell was that?" asked Seamus. He was looking up at the retreating shadow, half blocked by their side of the ship. Ben ignored the question. He stood up, already feeling panicky. The Angel knew how long the ship had, and by the sound of the message, whatever he and Ned had to do, they wouldn't have much time to do it.

"_Ned, we need to know where the ship was hit. We might be able to determine how long we have before the ship sinks. Then we need to_…"

Ned cut him off. "_Ben, the Angel told us to wait for the Command, we need to wait before we decide anything. We could do something wrong_."

Ben stared at his Labrador. "_Didn't you just hear the Command with me_?"

The dog stared up into his ageless companion's eyes. They both thought the same thought at the same time, and the hound saw true fear enter the boy's eyes. Ben was doing this alone.

* * *

Seamus torn his gaze away from the retreating shadow and turned it onto his friend. "What the hell was that?" he asked, but no answer came from his friend. Ben was just standing there, looking silently at the dog, as if they were having a wordless conversation. "Ben?" The sound of his name seemed to break whatever spell he was in.

From the light coming in from the windows Seamus saw Ben's eyes dart over the railing to where the strange light had been before making eye contact. "I think we just hit an iceberg. For it to cast a shadow that big it would have to be larger than the ship. Something that size could easily tear a hole somewhere below us." His voice was a little shaky, but there was an edge in it that Seamus had not heard before.

"Uh, mate? This is the unsinkable ship. That means it's unsinkable. I'm pretty sure the ship is fine."

Ben shook his head and Ned stood straight at his master's side. "Trust me. I know ships. This one is going to sink." Abruptly he turned away and began walking towards the other side of the ship.

The black haired boy stood there a moment, not fully comprehending what had happened in the last five minutes. He trusted Ben, but to believe him meant the impossible. He followed his friend.

"What was that green glow?"

Ben glanced back at him. "Now's not the time for questions. We don't have the time. There are only enough lifeboats for half the ship's occupants, and if you want a spot on one of them you won't waste time."

Doubt creped into the Irish boy's mind. Facts told him that he was on an unsinkable ship. Sinking just wasn't possible. But then why bother putting lifeboats on an unsinkable ship?

Ben had asked Seamus to trust him and, looking into the blond boy's eyes, it was hard not to. "What about my mum and Susie? I have to find them."

"We will, just let me check the damage first." Together they crossed to the damaged side.

* * *

Ben leaned over the railing, trying to get a good look of where the ship had been hit. The Titanic was so large, he would assume it would take hours to sink, but given what the Angel had said, the ship didn't have hours. One, maybe two, but they couldn't expect any more. The ship had finally stopped moving, sitting peacefully in the water, while each passing minute marked another step closer to her death.

Ice shards littered the deck from where the pieces had been shaved off. The Eternal screwed up his eyes, staring down the side of the ship, but saw nothing but blackness. Other people had gathered out on deck to look for what had hit the ship. Pushing away from railing, Ben headed to where Seamus was standing, looking nervous.

"I can't see anything. We just have to hope she's sinking slowly."

Seamus wouldn't meet his eyes. "Are you completely sure about this Ben? This is serious stuff y'know?"

When Ben spoke, his voice was urgent, yet full of understanding. "I know this is a lot to take in, but if you trust me, things will work out better in the end. If your right, then we'll be no worse for ware, but if I'm right, things are going to get pretty hectic around here soon."

Seamus finally looked up. "Why aren't you telling other passengers then? Shouldn't we be warning people?"

Ben was relieved to hear Seamus say 'we', but he knew it was only one person convinced. "I doubt people will believe me. Their choices are to stay on an unsinkable ship, or get on a tiny lifeboat in the great big ocean. If for whatever reason they do believe me, it would only cause a panic. The people up here are the safest anyhow; they're near the lifeboats. We need to get below deck."

There was a brief second of silence, where neither of them spoke. The silence was broken however by a man, exclaiming, "There you are!" followed by a yelp.

It was a deckhand, not one of the ones who had chased them, but a different worker. He was brandishing a pole with a circular piece of wire, which was looped around Ned's neck and was pinning him to the deck.

Ben lunged at the man, but Seamus grabbed him and held him back. "Let him go! He didn't do anything wrong!"

The deckhand gave the pole a tug, forcing Ned to wheeze and follow the motion of the stick. "Eh?" said the man. "Look it here boy, I don't know what this here dog did but I was ordered to catch it and take it back to the kennel. You can send you mum or pop to retrieve him tomorrow, or you can pick him up when we make harbor."

Ben was about to break free of Seamus's hold when Seamus leaned over and whispered into his ear. "Look, the last thing you want to be is locked in a room somewhere for attacking somebody. We can grab Ned later."

"_Ben, as much as I don't want to admit it, Seamus is right. It won't be long until he'll be called away to help somewhere, then you can get me and the other dogs out. It's better this way_." The train of though stopped for a second as the man accidentally tugged too hard. "_Ugh, watch it you stupid oaf, that's my neck fur_!"

"_Ned, I'm going to get you alright? I promise_!"

The man pulled Ned out of sight and Ben stood there fuming with Seamus still holding on to him. Gruffly Ben broke Seamus's hold on him and started to walk to the door. Come on, we need to get Susie, and then Ned."

"_Please_." Ben prayed silently to the Angel. "_Don't let anything happen to Ned. If he go's down with this ship, so do I_." There was no answer. Ben didn't expect one.

* * *

Stay tuned for future updates, and thank you to all who reviewed this story and to those faithful readers.


	19. Chapter 19

I was being attacked by ants as I wrote this. I think they wanted my Internets. O.O

It's hard to believe how long this story has been going on for. I'll be turning 18 in two weeks for crying out loud. And then there's college... but now I'm rambling, trying to make you feel guilty for being mad at me for not updating for so long. School is almost over though. :)

**Disclaimer** This author is not responsible for any rat bites obtained form reading this chapter.

* * *

Titanic ~ Chapter 19

Both boys ventured into the interior of the ship. Ben glanced at a clock mounted on the far wall. Midnight. Twenty minutes had already come and gone. Ben and Seamus ran down a flight of stairs and down a hallway, the blond boy's eyes raking over everything he saw. By sunrise, all of this would be gone. The ship would become a tomb to hundreds of lost souls, adding to century's worth of sailor bones.

He had to rescue Ned, but the Command was for him, not his dog. What did that mean? That whatever he had to do Ned wasn't supposed to be with him? The Angel had never let the pair of them down before, and he wanted to trust that it had a plan for the pair of them, but given what was going down hundreds of feet below them…

There had to be a reason. What could he do that Ned couldn't? Or was it positioning. Forcing the two of them to be in certain places at certain times. But why not tell them? Ben was confused, but he pushed the thoughts aside for the time being. They had reached their floor only to find it semi crowded with people.

"What do you think we hit?"

"I dunno but the White Star Line better make sure my luggage wasn't damaged."

"My card game was knocked from the table. I was about to win too!"

Ben ignored the chatter and descended to the floor below theirs. Seamus poked his head down the railing and called out, "Mate, you missed our floor. It's up here!"

The youth shook his head and called back up, "Hold on a sec, I just wanted to take a look." It was not to the Eternal's liking. More people crowded this hall, but Ben could see water down at the far end. He jumped as a rat scampered over his foot and hopped up the steps and out of site. "_If the rats are jumping ship don't you people know you're in trouble_." Didn't these people have common sense; the water was literally at their doorsteps!

A man traveling down bumped into him as Ben started upwards on the staircase. An arm shot out and grabbed Ben by the arm, under the armpit. "I'll teach you to hit me you little useless ass. The boy could smell alcohol on the man's breath as he spoke, and he narrowed his eyes.

The man took a step back at the glare he was receiving, but didn't let go until a moment too late. The next thing the man knew he was lying against the wall, slumped and clutching at his throat. Ben began to mount the stairs, but paused and looked back at a group of people who were staring at him, mouths opened. "The ship is about to sink. I suggest you start making your way to the top deck." Then he finished climbing the flight.

* * *

"You okay mate?" asked Seamus when Ben joined him on their floor.

"Fine." Said the blond gruffly. Seeing his friend's hurt look, he added, "The water has already made it to the floor below us and people aren't doing anything."

"I'm sure they'll start moving once they start getting cold." Seamus paused for a moment. "There weren't any cabins below that floor was there?"

Ben was silent a moment. "I don't _think_ so."

Seamus started pushing his way through the hall, making his way to the room they shared. He threw open the door and the pair stepped inside.

The room looked as it always did, except the usual hum of machinery below them was absent. Susie was asleep on her top bunk, unconscious to the world and that history was being made around her. Stepping on the lower bed, Seamus grabbed her and dragged her off, almost hitting his head on the other top bunk as he fell backwards. Even so, he jarred his tailbone on the lower bunk. Susie awoke at his gasp of pain and instantly began to wiggle around. Gritting his teeth, Seamus swung the girl around and onto his back.

"What's wrong?" she asked, looking very serious.

"We'll explain later." Said Ben. "Right now we need to get on another boat."

A low creaking sound came from somewhere below their feet. The boys frozen, and then glanced at each other. It was time to go.

"Now we need to find my mom," said Seamus as they pushed their way back through the corridor. Ben stopped at the end of the hall with one foot on the staircase. "Seamus, I don't know if I can come with you. I need to get Ned."

Seamus looked at Ben, pleadingly. "Come on mate, not enough time has passed since they caught him. When we get my mum and sister safe, I'll help you find Ned, I promise."

Ben took a deep breath, steadying himself. Maybe Seamus was right and more time needed to pass. They had probably an hour left. Was that enough time? People began to jostle him as some of the crowd finally began to move upwards. "Alright." The youth finally said. He began to follow Seamus and Susie up the stairs. "Do you know where she might be?"

"No, but I'm hoping she might already be on top deck. She'd want to see what the commotion was about."

"Let's swing by the second class library first. Your mum might be in there."

Seamus shot him a look. "Why would she be in there?" he huffed, Susie's weight taking its toll on his stair climbing. "She can't read. At least I think she can't." He added.

"She's been teaching herself." Said Ben as they reached the correct floor. "She told me when I talked to her."

"Mummy read to me." Supplied Susie. That decided it. They hurried down the hallway towards the library, which was roomed on the opposite side of the ship. After about five minutes of navigating the ship however, Ben slowed, finally stopping and leaning against the wall.

Seamus stopped and lowered Susie, giving his back a rest. He looked Ben in the eye and asked, "What's wrong?"

The Eternal shook his head and shut his eyes. A feeling had washed over him. What the feeling was he couldn't describe, but he knew it was bad. And he knew it had something to do with Ned. "I'm sorry, I can't go any further. I have to get Ned. He's all I have."

A series of emotion flashed across Seamus's face, the last one being understanding. "I'll meet you on the top deck. Both of you. The Irish boy grabbed Susie and lifted her onto his back again. Before he left however, he looked into Ben's blue eyes and said, "Your wrong you know. You have me, and Susie. Don't forget that."

Ben smiled a little, but it wasn't a good kind of smile. It was the kind he often gave people when he knew he would probably never see them again. "I know. Thanks."

Seamus nodded, looking slightly embarrassed. "Right, well, see you soon then." He nodded at Ben and started off in the direction of the library.

The Eternal stood still for a moment, listing to the ship. Then without a word he turned and headed back the way he had came.

* * *

O_o What will happen next?

...

Actually even I don't know. Since I've changed what I originally wrote, the next chapter will be knew to me too. After that though, the story will be mostly back on track. I'm thinking about supplying an alternative ending to let you know how it was originally going to go, but I haven decided yet.

You know what to do!


	20. Chapter 20

Wow, we're almost at 30,000 words here. This story is going to be hitting 40,000 by the time I'm done with it!

Have fun reading, this is the second longest chapter I've written so far!

**Disclaimer** The situation only gets worse from here.

* * *

Titanic ~ Chapter 20

Captain Edward J. Smith stood silently in the wheelhouse, one hand resting on the steering wheel, the other clutching a golden pocket watch. He stared at it, watching the second hand tick by. Three other men were in the room. One had his ear pressed against a telephone receiver, the other two men stood at attention, awaiting orders. The door opened and closed. A man appeared on his left and touched the Captain's shoulder.

The Captain gave himself a little shake and pulled himself out of his thoughts. The man was Mister Gunnery. "Report."

Gunnery kept his face emotionless as he relayed information to his Captain. "We've just received word from the _Carpathia_ Sir. They have picked up our distress call and is on its way."

"How long?"

The sailor looked down at his shoes. "Until they reach us or until we go under?"

"Both."

Gunnery took a deep steadying breath. "The _Carpathia_ is roughly four hours away, maybe more, maybe less. They are moving at full speed." He paused for moment before continuing. "Based on the latest reports from below, and estimating how fast the _Titanic_ is taking on water, we have less than two hours before the ship goes under."

The Captain closed his eyes. This was supposed to be his last voyage. Never had he thought something like this would happen. "The lifeboats, are they ready?" he asked.

His officer nodded once. "They started loading five minutes ago."

"Make sure its women and children first. Only load the men if no one else is present." Smith turned to address the other two sailors. "Start firing the distress rockets. The _Carpathia_ must know exactly where we are."

Both men saluted before turning to leave. Gunnery shifted from one foot to the other. "What are your orders Sir?"

Smith glanced at his watch again before closing it with a snap and tucking it away in his coat pocket. "Come with me to the bridge. We will be needed there."

* * *

All around Ned was the noise of other dogs barking. The collision had woken all of them up and some of the smarter canines sensed that something wasn't right. Even the dumb animals knew by now that they were in trouble. It was slight, but the floor was slanting. The Labrador laid his head on his paws and waited. Barking wasn't going to help their situation any. The dog handler had long since given up trying to quite them down and had left. He had not returned.

Ned had tried to tell the smarter dogs that his friend would soon be coming to let them out, but they seemed to think the same of their owners. Before tonight, Ned hadn't known it was possible to be bored in a situation like this, but trapped as he was in a four by four feet metal cage with no way out, there was really nothing for him to do.

"_Ben, if you can hear me, please hurry. The guard has left and these dogs are getting on my nerves_."

In the cage beside him, a Doberman Pincher began biting the cage door. "_Honestly do you really think that's going to work_?" asked Ned tiredly.

"_Gurr, me want woof free_." Replied the other dog.

"_Huh. Gurr and woof indeed! I'll give you the gurr but that woof was entirely out of context_."

The Doberman snarled an unintelligible response. Ned rolled his eyes and looked the other way. Not for the first time tonight, he wondered if he would live to see the sun rise. There was no doubt in his mind that Ben would come for him, but it was after he got out that worried the dog. The other dogs could fend for themselves, once they were free. "_Then again, maybe not_." He thought as he eyed the Chihuahua in the cage on the other side of him.

Then something changed. The temperature dropped significantly and the lights flickered. For a second the Labrador thought they had been wrong, that the ship had begun to sink much faster then they had anticipated. But then he recognized the familiar feeling and his hackles stood up. The dogs quit barking as Ned stood in his cage. They too seemed to feel the fear, and the air was heavy with it.

The Labrador began to growl. One by one, the other dogs too began to growl, until all of them to the Doberman Pincher to the Chihuahua were at it. After a minute the flickering lights stopped and the room stayed lit, but the air remained cold. Ned sat back down, no longer bored. The other dogs stayed silent.

* * *

Ben had chosen a poor time to get lost. It wasn't helping that people were standing about the corridors and talking loudly, but none of them seemed to want to move more than a few feet from their own door. The youth pushed past a group of men speaking in French, suddenly recognizing where he was; he was one floor higher then he needed to be. Finding the closest staircase took only a minute and soon he was running down a much more empty hallway.

"_Ned, bark if you can hear me_!"

There was a moment's silence before a loud barking sound came from the door next to him, cause the boy to jump. Ben wrenched the door open, gasping as a rush of cold air flew into the hallway.

Ben staggered in, breathing hard as he looked around. Almost instantly he spotted Ned and ran to him, the other dogs barking as he passed by their cages. The lock was a simple turning mechanism, easy for a human, impossible for someone without thumbs. The moment the bolt was thrown Ned bounded out and threw himself at the boy, knocking him over.

"Get off me!" laughed Ben as he tried to twist away from Ned's wet tongue. Pushing the Labrador off, he wiped his face and looked around at the other dogs. "A bit loud this is. Think we should let them out?"

Ned paced excitedly. "_Jail brake time_!"

Soon the room was filled with freed dogs, some barking, others running around the limited space. As Ben worked his way to the far side of the room, he spoke to Ned. "I felt something strange a little while ago. I thought something bad had happened to you."

"_It was just the Dutchman, but never mind that now, its not important. Just finish letting the dogs out so we can go get a move on. Did you go and get Susie? Where's Seamus_?"

When the pair had been reunited, the relief at having found Ned had made Ben forget himself temporarily. But now that they were together again, they had to get moving. There would be plenty of time to catch up once they got off the ship.

"_Susie is with Seamus. We got her out in time and Seamus went to go find their mother_," said Ben, switching to thought rather than spoken word. "_They're probably already on deck by now_."

"_What's our plan then_?" asked Ned as Ben unlocked the last cage, letting out a Bulldog.

"_I think we should get to the top deck, being down here isn't going to do us much good. Once we're up top, we need to get you on a life boat as soon as possible_."

The dog fixed the youth with what could only be a canine version of a glare. "_You went through all of the trouble of finding me, just so you could get rid of me? That sure makes me feel wanted_."

"_Ned, be serious_." Thought Ben as he waded his way through the mass of dogs. "_If there's any chance of getting you on a lifeboat, it'll before too many people fill them up. I can always get another seat later_."

"_And what would you be doing while I get rowed to safety_?" asked the Labrador, a bit harshly.

"_Helping load the boats before I got on one myself_." Ben had reached the door and after pushing a smaller dog away with his foot, opened the door. The room full of dogs rushed out, all barking their heads off as the fled upwards down the corridor.

The Eternal knew his dog wasn't going to leave him; he supposed that he had just wanted Ned to confirm what he already knew. He figured Ned was listening in on his thoughts now as well, considering how he let the subject drop once they got outside the kennel.

Ben made sure all the dogs had escaped before he shut the door. He could just see the last dog turning a corner, already out of sight, their barks muffled by the ship.

"_Up_?" thought the black dog.

"_Up_." Confirmed the boy.

They began to run towards the nearest staircase when the pair stopped, the stairs only a couple of paces away. A Doberman Pincher stood blocking their way, standing over a crumpled form lying against a wall. The Doberman noticed them and barred his teeth before turning tail and running off.

At first Ben thought the dog had attacked the person who lay on the floor, but then realized that no dog could of done the damage that the boy on the floor had. The youth clenched his fists as the boy opened one eye, the other already swelling shut. "Ben?"

The boy on the floor was Seamus.

* * *

I told you things would get worse. Anybody think they know what's going to happen next? The next update should come a lot faster than the last one.


	21. Chapter 21

So I've hit a new low with updating, what else is new? Um, the 30,000 word mark is, whoo! Only a couple of chapters left!

**Disclaimer** College is not a place to go if you want to get a lot of sleep.

* * *

Titanic

Chapter 21

"What are you doing here?" Seamus asked weakly.

"I could ask you the same thing; you're supposed to be on top deck. What happened to you? Where are Susie and your mum?"

The Irish boy didn't look good; the one eye that was swelling was already turning black. Seamus was also clutching his left arm close to his chest. The boy swallowed and winced before answering. "Mum and Susie are on a boat. I told them I was waiting for you and Ned and that I'd be on the next one. I don't think Mum really believes the ship is going to sink but she got on anyway."

"But what happened to you?" asked the blond boy, an unmistakable edge steeling his voice. Ned was pacing behind him, clearly impatient.

"Gold." Said Seamus before coughing painfully. "And I really hope my ribs aren't broken."

Ben's forehead creased as he frowned. Gold wouldn't be able to do this kind of damage to Seamus, not without Seamus lying down and letting him do it.

"Not him," Interjected Seamus, breaking Ben's train of thought. "The older one. The one I knocked into while we were being chased. I was on my way down to the kennels to find you when he found me. He was a total sadistic bastard. I swear he enjoyed every minute of it."

"_He better hope I don't find him_." Growled Ned. "_If I do don't think you can hold me back_."

"_Don't worry, I won't_." thought Ben. The situation they were in was getting steadily worse, and Seamus probably needed medical attention. Ben had no idea where to look for it and at the moment their lives were in bigger trouble.

"Where did Gold go?"

Seamus tried to sit up let out a sharp exhale before swearing quietly to himself. "Dunno, I think he said something about collecting his fortune."

Ben snorted. "If he means his family's gold then he's out of luck. It'll be in the storage room and underwater by now."

"Good, I hope he bloody drowns!"

"We're going to be the ones who drown if we don't get moving right now, we could see water at any moment. Now I'm going to try and get you up." Ben grabbed Seamus's right arm and hoisted him up, trying to be careful but at the same time trying to be quick about it. Seamus gasped in pain, but still managed to stand without further assistance.

Hesitantly, the Irish boy took a step, then another. "It doesn't hurt too bad to walk, but there's no way I'm going to be able to run." Seamus took a break from speaking for a moment before continuing. "Those stairs though aren't going to be fun. Anyway we can take an elevator?"

"Not unless we want to travel to another part of the ship, and by that time we'd already would have gotten to the top. I know it hurts but we don't really have any choice."

"_Ben, I don't mean to get on you, but we need to stop talking and start moving again. The more water this ship takes the faster she'll sink_."

Ben bit his lip and began climbing the stairs, knowing that Seamus would follow. Ned waited until the injured boy started up himself before bringing up the rear. The group moved slowly, more slowly than Ben would have hoped. He was stopping at every half landing before going back and forced Seamus to move faster. He felt bad for his friend, but memories of the icy visions haunted his thoughts, and Ben knew it wouldn't be long before those thoughts became reality.

After only moving up only one flight of stairs however, Ben found the rest of the way to be blocked with people milling about. "_Ned, keep an eye on Seamus_." To Seamus he murmured, "Stay here," and began pushing his way through the crowd. Some people moved voluntarily, noticing that Ben was the boy who took out the man before. "What's going on here, why are these gates locked?" What used to an open corridor leading to the next set of stairs was now blocked by a set of metal gates.

An old woman wrapped in a shawl answered him. "They locked the gates just a couple of minutes ago. I was waiting for my Jenny I was, when this gentleman came and locked the gates. He said they were trying to control traffic and would reopen the stairs when they got the okay. I'm sure they'll be back any moment now dearie."

The old crone was taken aback by the intensity of the boy's stare. "This ship is sinking and we don't have time to wait here and hope someone remembers to unlock these gates. We need to break them down or go find another way up."

"My boy, you need to trust the system. I know you're scared but if we just stay calm, everything will be all right." People around the old woman were nodding in agreement.

Ben knew then that there would be no convincing them. Still, he had to give one last shot. "Yeah, I'm scared." He said, his voice rising, and people around him quieted down to listen. "But your problem is that you're not scared enough. The blond addressed everyone now, trying to make eye contact with as many people as he could, trying desperately to get his message across. "It won't be long before the water reaches here, and then you're not going to want to wait around for the system to work."

"There is another way." Came a thoughtful voice.

Everyone's attention turned to a young woman, who suddenly looked terrified to have everyone watching her. "Tell me." Asked Ben softly, not wanting to frighten her further.

"It's ridiculous. I don't know why I said it. It's nothing…"

"Tell me." Repeated Ben. He took her hand and stared at her earnestly.

"Well," she began, her eyes darting around the narrow staircase and then back to the blond, "Well if the floors below us are filling up with water, and according to the angle the ship is still at, it could be possible to swim under this floor and still have enough head space to breathe. But that would involve going into the water, and once you did you wouldn't last very long."

The woman stared into the boy's eyes and watched as they seemed to cloud over. Without warning he dropped her hand and began to descend the stairs.

"He's not!"

"He is!"

"Wouldn't catch me going back down there."

"Hey, you!"

A firm hand grabbed Ben's shoulder and Ben whirled around. Holding him was the same man from before, only this time he had a switch-blade in his hand. "Where do you think you're…"

The man got no further. Twisting neatly out of the grip Ben landed a blow in exactly the same spot was before, grabbing the knife before the man's body crumpled for a second time that night. Shoving the blade into his coat pocket, Ben descended the stairs with no problem, owing to the fact that most people had flattened themselves against the wall to avoid the body of the man as it rolled down the stairs. Jumping down the last couple of steps to avoid the man sprawled at the bottom; he hurried back to where Seamus and Ned were waiting.

"What was that?" asked Seamus when Ben got back to him and Ned. "Sounded like someone fell down the steps just now."

Ben ignored the question, conversing with Ned instead as he led Seamus back the way they had come. "_Ned, did you catch all that_?"

"_I did. I don't like it but we don't have time to look for another exit when we know this one is available, especially when it won't be around in a couple of minutes_."

"_My thoughts exactly_."

The youth swore that his dog smirked at him. "_I know_."

"Steady on there mate, where do you think you're going? We just came from that way."

Ben went down a couple of steps, looking over the railing to the water below. "They closed the gates leading up to the landing above on this floor. If we go down to where the water is, we can swim through and go up the middle class staircase, which I doubt they've blocked."

"I'm not going down there." Said Seamus, fear plain on his face.

"Look, I don't want to go down there either, but we don't have a choice." Said Ben impatiently. He was ready to drag Seamus down the staircase if he didn't move faster.

"No, it's not that. I…I can't swim."

* * *

Anyone getting the feeling that Seamus is deadweight?


	22. Chapter 22

Hello everyone. Looking back at all my chapters, I've noticed that in pretty much every single one of them I've apologized for it being late, and now I've hit a new record. I'm not going to do that this time though. I wrote this story a long time ago, and my attention has shifted from writing to other things. Once thing that has not shifted however if my love for this series. From now on, I will not post a new story unless it is completely typed out and finished, so something like this will never happen again.

All I can do is continue promising that this story will be finished. We're almost there.

**Disclaimer **If this disclaimer was a person, I'd poison its tea.

* * *

Titanic

Chapter 22

Moving from room to room, Ben took the time to reflect upon the events that were causing him so much trouble. The Dutchman was always a problem, along with constantly having to lie to people who would eventually become his friends. Being on a sinking unsinkable ship however, was definitely high on the list.

Rifling through cabinets and wardrobes, Ben moved with a quickness that bordered panic. Pushing aside a shirt and a pair of trousers, he finally found what he was looking for; a lifejacket. Throwing on a cloak he had found a minute before, the youth hurried out of the abandoned room he had ransacked.

A minute later he handed the lifejacket to a doubtful Seamus. "Couldn't you have mentioned the fact that you couldn't swim _before_ the ship hit an iceberg?"

Seamus looked sheepish from under his coat of bruising's. "Well, being on an unsinkable ship, it really never occurred to me that I needed to bring it up."

The blue eyed boy descended the steps to the point where Ned was waiting for the two of them. The water had risen about two feet since he had checked it minutes before.

"_This is going to be cold_." Thought Ned gloomily.

"_Just don't think about_."

"_It's hard to not think about it when it's the only thought bouncing around in both our heads_."

Ben decided not to comment on his dog's observation, but checked over his shoulder to where Seamus was gingerly putting on the life jacket. "_Right, let's do this now before Seamus loses his nerve_."

"_Let's do this before I lose my nerve_."

After hesitating for a brief moment, Ben splashed into the water until he was waist deep and on the mid-floor landing. Teeth already chattering, he could practically feel his body heat being sucked out of him. A splash behind him indicated that Ned had joined him in the freezing water, and now the only one left on dry deck was Seamus. Knowing that the Irish boy would follow them, Ben half swam, half waded on.

The landing ended a far sooner than he expected and the youth stumbled, falling up to his neck before his feet found a step again. A gasp slipped out of his mouth and for a moment there was a lapse in his concentration. His vision shifted for a second before he managed brought it back under his control. "_I'm fine_." He thought shortly to Ned, who he could feel had just been about to send a worried thought.

Seamus was now up to his middle and swearing softly to himself. Ned was dog paddling over to where Ben was standing; now on tip-toe. Too cold for actual words, Ben took a shuddering breath and pushed off from the step. He kicked furiously, trying to keep his head from going under the water. His muscles felt like they were being bathed in an icy fire. The water was now only two feet from the ceiling and had visibly risen since the last time Ben had checked the water level. Amazingly, the ship's lights were still working; at least they had that still going for them.

Ben cringed at the thought of making this swim in the dark. Behind him, he could hear the labored breathing of Seamus and Ned, as well as the almost muted voices of everyone on the ship. Salt water lapped into Ben's mouth, causing him to stop and choke. The blond boy slipped under the water and the cold forced all of the air out of the Eternal's lungs. "_This can't be it_!" he thought.

The youth felt something knock into his head and it was as if a spell was broken. Kicking up, Ben broke the surface and coughed up the foul water. Ned was beside him, his brown eyes looking into Ben's blue ones. Seamus meanwhile, was shouting at him.

"If you die on me, I will kill you! You nearly made my heart stop!"

Still spluttering, Ben grabbed onto a nearby light fixture, whose metal was still slightly warm from twenty-four hours' worth of heat. Wiping the water out of his eyes with his free hand, he noticed that all of their heads were only a few inches below the ceiling, and they still had over half the distance to go. At a faster rate of which he had been swimming, Ben lunged of the next light fixture that was a few feet away. Grabbing it, he pulled himself though the water and continued on, Seamus mimicking him and Ned doggedly swimming along.

The cold was sapping his strength, but now they were all moving much more quickly than before. Wishing that he had stopped to look for a life jacket for himself, the Eternal struggled on. Time and space seemed to contort and the distance they had to go didn't seem to grow any closer. The water however grew higher. As he swam, the top of his head now knocked into the ceiling.

Ben began counting the tops of doorways to mark their progress. So intent was his counting that he didn't even notice that he had passed the staircase until Seamus spluttered something uncomprehendable. Both he and Ned had passed it unawares so deep was their concentration. Swimming back, they could see that Seamus's face was white except for the bruising, and that his lips were blue.

Stiff and frozen arms clawed at the stairs as the water rose to collect they few centimeters left of air. Dragging themselves up, all three of them climbed out of the water and flopped down onto the floor. Water ran off them and all Ben wanted to do was lay there forever. Groaning with cold, and in Seamus's case pain, they stood up. They weren't out of the danger yet and if they stopped to rest now, then they were just as doomed as they were before. They still had to ascend to the top deck and find a life boat, if there were any left.

The water had reached their floor and began to pool around their feet. Ben reckoned they had an hour, maybe half that before the ship was completely under water. How much time had passed since he had last been up deck? Casting off his soaked cloak, Ben mounted the other steps that curved around and began to climb, ignoring the fact that he couldn't feel his toes or fingers. Overcoming sheer exhaustion, the group nearly collapsed where they reached the top.

Seamus braced himself against a wall and clutched at his side and gritting his teeth in pain. Almost two thirds of the ships occupants were crowded around on deck, leaving hardly any room around on deck to move about.

"Okay, we need to get out there and find a lifeboat and…Seamus?"

Ned gave a small bark of alarm as Seamus sagged, falling down. Ben reached over to his friend and shook him as Ned licked his face. Seamus blinked confusedly and stared up at Ben and Ned. "What happened? Why am I on the floor?"

"You just suddenly collapsed… come on, lean on me. We have to get moving." Ben wasted no time in pulling Seamus up and leaning Seamus's good side against him. Seamus swung an arm around Ben's neck and together they hobbled out.

"_Ben, I think Seamus is a lot more hurt than he let on_." Commented Ned as he walked behind them.

"_Yeah I'm beginning to realize that. Still nothing we can do about that at the moment_."

As they left the shelter of the enclosed ship, the cold hit them once again, only this time it was much, much worse. The breeze, though gentle, seemed to pierce right though his clothing like it was made of nothing. The sea was just as flat and mirror like as it had been when the iceberg had struck the ship. By now the ship was slanting at an angle steep enough for people to begin panicking. Ben had to shove his way through the crowd just to get by. Pushing ever onwards, the youth made his way to where the crowd was thickest.

A ring of men, arms locked, formed a human barrier and blocked anyone's attempt at moving forward. In the middle of the ring, stood a man with a pistol in his hand, which was held high so that everyone in the crowd could see. "Just try and break the line anyone of ya, I dare ya!" He waved the gun wildly for emphasis and some of the people fell back, permitting Ben and Seamus to push forward to the front.

On the side of the ship, was what Ben guessed to be the last lifeboat. Crewmen, already resigned to their fate, were trying to lower the already crammed boat into the waters below. It was now or never.

Ben pushed his frozen body against the chain, trying to break through. "Woman and children only." Said one of the men, sizing Ben and Seamus up and wondering whether or not they counted as children.

"Please, my friend is injured." Panted Ben, now having to hold up Seamus, who had slipped into unconsciousness again. The man seemed to hesitate for a moment, taking in the boy's plea, before deciding to hell with it and letting them pass.

"Only him though!" shouted the man and at once had to redouble his efforts to keep others out. Ned followed as Ben dragged Seamus towards the lifeboat. The man with the gun strolled over and took Seamus from Ben before indicating with the gun that Ben needed to move back. Ned growled once before he and Ben turned and hurried away. Looking over his shoulder as he ducked back under the chain of arms, Ben watched as the man unceremoniously dumped Seamus onto the load of people. Then the lifeboat began to descend.

Ben pushed his way back through the crowd, actually glad that Seamus had been unconscious. There would have been no way he would have gone without Ben if he had been able to make a choice. Besides that though, Ben was glad that Seamus was oblivious to the sounds of people screaming, and of the ship dying. And of the sound of gun fire that came from where Ben had stood just a minute before.

* * *

So I'm just curious, how many people still reading this story remembers it first being posted? I started this story in the tenth grade, and tonight I finished my freshman year of college. Scary huh?


	23. Chapter 23

So as a promise to myself, I've sworn that I would get this story, and the Spoof, done over Christmas break. Break doesn't start until Sunday for me, but I figured I'd go ahead and start now.

**Disclaimer** I didn't own this four years ago, and I don't own this now.

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Titanic

Chapter 23

Mist fanned out before Ben with each shuddering breath. The two of them needed shelter from the cold, at least for a while. Pushing their way through the desperate crowd, they made their way towards the gym; a place Ben had passed many times before over the past week, but before had been reserved for the first class. The youth staggered through the doorway, being almost forced into the room by the desperate crowd behind him.

The pair hurried to an unoccupied corner of the semi full room, and sat down. Ben threw an arm around Ned and in response the dog scooted as close towards the boy as he could. The room was noticeably warmer than outside, though Ben noticed an absence of heat coming from a metal grill beside him. The combined body heat of boy and dog slowly warmed the two of them, though Ben had to remove one arm to brace themselves against the slanting floor.

Most of the room's occupants were first class, judging from their dress. Some wore what looked like silk pajamas, while others were still in formal evening attire. Their eyes were darting every which way, like scared rabbits looking to escape a predator. Their money was of no use to them now and most of them seemed to understand that. Still, there were some who still stubbornly clung to their way of life.

"I say, as soon as I arrive at New York I will be writing a strongly worded complaint to the White Star Line. This rabble interrupted my poker game!" said an older looking man, looking for someone to complain to. Everyone in the room ignored him.

"_Dearie me, I sincerely hope that man gets to resume his poker game. I'm not sure I could think of anything worse than being unable to finish my nightly poker game_."

The youth's lips twitched, almost smiling despite the dire situation the pair of them were in. "_Do you even know how to play poker Ned_?"

"_Of course I do! I'll have you know that we dogs would be great at poker if we had hands to hold the cards. We can always tell when someone is bluffing_."

"_Hm, and if you had hands would you be writing to the White Star Line once we get back to New York_?"

"_Huh_," the dog sniffed. "_You bet I would. I would have never gotten on this unsinkable ship if I knew that it could sink_."

Ben was about to comment, to carry on the silly, but much needed banter between him and his dog, but the strange boy could feel his shoes beginning to lose traction against the floor. It was a sign that perhaps the two of them had stayed in the room a bit too long. The two of them would die if they stayed in this room, though he had to admit that venturing back outside would most likely only kill them faster. Still, going outside, looking for a way to survive, had a small flame of hope. Both boy and dog had never given up before, and Ben had no intention to starting now.

Ned, reading his friend's thought, sighed and stood up. "_Alright mate, I suppose if you're eager to go back outside we can._ The two of them exited the gym to be once again enveloped by the crowd. This time however, a greater sense of panic was in the air. People were screaming and crying and shouting the names of loved ones or prays. Here and there though, Ben saw some individuals standing still, a look of resignation upon their faces. It was these people that scared Ben the most. Allowing himself to be bullied and pushed along the deck, the youth kept an eye out for any way of survival.

"_Higher ground_," he thought suddenly, and began to look up and around. An idea struck him as he remembered climbing up a ladder to the roof of the top deck. "_Ned, if we can find a ladder, I can get a better view of what's happening_!"

"_On it_," came the reply, and Ned disappeared from this side. The dog was only gone for a moment when the thought entered the boy's head. "_Ben, I found one! Keep moving forward and to the right a bit_!"

It took another minute of navigating the crowd, but eventually Ben made it where Ned was waiting for him. "_Right, I'll be right back mate_." He thought to the dog.

"_I should hope so. Imagine leaving me behind to fend for myself_!

"_Oh hush_." Ben grabbed the metal bar and began to hoist himself up, pressing down with his feet so that he wouldn't fall backwards on the leaning ship. Getting himself over the edge at an angle took a tricky bit of maneuvering, but before long the youth stood stooped, but successfully above the crowd.

Now that he was higher, he could see further along the massive ship. People were pushing and fighting to get to the higher half of the ship, trying to out run the water creeping along the deck, though soon it would be too late to run or even walk. The ship would reach such an angle that no one would be able to move. Being above the crowd and no longer sheltered from the wind, he shivered in his damp clothes turned around. Seeing nothing of value in the direction that had been heading, Ben began to hurry to the other side of the ship, praying that something would present itself.

On the other side of the ship, back the way they had come, a group of men were on the roof same as Ben. They were standing around something bulky and covered with a tarp that was tied down to the deck. The men were hacking away at the ropes with knives and as one of the ropes were cut; a part of the tarp fell away. Ben drew a sharp intake of breath. "_Ned, there's a life boat up here tied down. Get to the other side of the ship; I'll help get it ready. Hurry_!"

Without waiting for his dog to reply, the youth ran down the slant and towards the dark water. Taking out the switch blade that he had confiscated from the man who had tried to grab him earlier, Ben devoted himself to the task of freeing the life boat. Adrenalin coursed through his veins at the chance of survival and he felt himself get caught up in the movement of the other men, ignoring the fact that the ship's remaining hundreds could not fit onto this small life boat.

One by one, the ropes snapped until an entire side was freed from the deck. "Down she goes!" cried one of the men, as it topped sideways onto the deck below, still attached by a few remaining ropes. The screams the rented the night air intensified, this time from the people trying to avoid being crushed by the small but heavy craft. The men began jumping down to the lower deck to finish what they started, and the Eternal went to join them, sticking the knife in-between his teeth as he swung down on one of the cut ropes. The water had already reached this part of the deck and splashed against the boy's ankles as he took the knife out from his teeth.

The words, Collapsible B, were stamped across the side of the craft in bright red. People began to surge around it, as if all of them could fit onto the tiny craft; half the size of an actually life boat. From the crowd Ned emerged and instantly went to his master's side, just as Ben cut through the last of the ropes. It was at this time that things began to happen very fast.

Tragedy struck as an air bubble, most likely from one of the boilers at the bottom of the ship, Ben reflected later, burst from the surface of the water further down by a section that was already underwater. The small tidal wave that formed as a result surged forward, knocking people down and sucking anything it touched instantly into deeper water. Ben let go of the knife and grabbed onto Ned's scarf with one hand, the other clinging to the side of the life boat before being plunged into the icy North Atlantic waters; carried along with the boat.

Having once braved the water before, the youth was somewhat prepared for the cold temperatures the second time around, but still felt the shock as what little warmth that had been replenished disappeared from him in an instant. Suddenly a loud snapping noise came from somewhere beyond his sight, similar to the noise of the New York breaking free several days ago. The lines stabilizing one of the ship's huge smoke stacks were snapping from its hold as the massive structure leaned backwards towards the water. The Eternal could only watch in stunned horror as it began to fall backward, only at the last second hearing Ned's mental cry of, "_Close your eyes Ben_!" before the stack hit the water, crushing dozens of people who were flailing around in the waters below it.

Ben opened his eyes just in time to see a huge wave, caused from the stack, smash into his face. Instantly his hold on the life boat was wrenched from him, as well as his hold on his dog. Without even time for a quick breath, he was dragged under into the dark abyss below, with only one thought on his mind.

"_Ned_!"

* * *

Ugh, I was 15 when I wrote this, and I'm 19 now. :P

Two more chapters left, both long ones, and and epilogue. I do love making Ben suffer, he's had such a hard life. I guess when one has no home, one's forced to go hard (Go hard or go home... okay, I'll quit with the jokes)

Saturday I'll finish the first semester of my Sophomore year of college. Time sure does fly...


	24. Chapter 24

Alright, I'm a liar. What else is new? The story isn't going to be finished over break, and I lied about there being two chapters left. This one was taking forever so I split it into two chapters, which means I have no idea how much more of this there still is. It all depends on if I have to cut another chapter in half.

Disclaimer It's one AM right now. No.

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Titanic

Chapter 24

Cold. Ben could feel nothing but the raw freezing waters moving against his exposed skin, soaking through his clothes once more and weighing him down. Through the pain and shock, the boy fought to keep his mouth shut, despite the fact that he wanted to shout. Instead he grit his teeth and tried to hold on as his body was pushed one way, and then the other in the suction current caused by the sinking ship. Ben had no idea which way was up or down, it was dark and silent; not even the screams that he knew must be somewhere close by, could be heard.

Panic nearly took hold, but with a great effort the boy pushed it back down. This was not the first time in many centuries that he had gotten disoriented underwater. He just needed to think. Squinting in the dark water, Ben let a couple of bubbles escape from his mouth and felt them travel across his cheek. Realizing that he was facing in the direction of the bottom of the ocean, he quickly righted himself and struck upwards towards the surface. Ben fought like a madman, desperate to reach the surface, although he had no idea how deep he had been pushed. He felt like iron bands were squeezing his lungs and he could feel his mind growing hazy, but still he swam upwards until…

Unexpectedly Ben broke the water's surface, gasping in the fresh air and swallowing a mouthful of water. Choking and trying to blink the water out from his eyes, it was several seconds until he was once more capable of coherent thought. The first thing he became aware of was Ned's thoughts shouting in his mind. "_Ben, are you all right_?_ Where are you_?"

Around the boy others were thrashing about in a panicked state; splashing water up into the air and making it difficult to see in the dimly lit night. Spiting into the water one last time, Ben began to swim away from the sinking ship, not wanting to once again be caught within the suction. In addition, the boy knew that he had to stay moving if he did not want to freeze to death within minutes. Already his limbs felt heavy, but he tried to keep his spirits up by contacting his dog.

"_Ned, I'm swimming away from the ship. I'm not hurt but I don't think I'm going to last long in this water_."

"_Alright mate, just give me a second and I'll find you. Don't worry, we'll figure something out once we're together_."

Ben kept swimming until he reached the edge of the light the dying ship was still providing. No one else had swam out this far, preferring to stay near the light of the ship. The _Titanic_ was high in the water on one end now, and it wouldn't be long the boy surmised, until the lights went out. Not for the first time, Ben wished he had grabbed himself a life-jacket. Forced to tread water lest he sink, he kept an eye open for his faithful friend.

Within the minute a dark form materialized in front of him and frozen fingers found the dog's wet fur. Despite their predicament Ben smiled at Ned. "_Glad you could join me for a midnight swim_."

The dog winked at him. "_Wouldn't miss it for anything. Y'know the water isn't half bad the second time around. We Labradors are pretty good in cold water. Guess it has something to do with the namesake_."

"_You might be dealing okay, but I'm going to freeze to death in a couple of minutes if I don't get out of this water soon_." Within his mind's eye, he could see himself from Ned's eyes. His teeth were chattering horribly and his lips had turned dark already from the cold.

"_Don't worry Ben, we're going to get through this_." Ned said seriously, staring into the boy's eyes. "_I don't believe this is the end_."

"I k-know N-ned." He stated out loud, as if to make the words truer by speaking them aloud, though all it did was make him aware of how hard it was to get the words out.

"_We need to find you a life boat. How far do you think you can swim_?" asked Ned, as he began to paddle further away from the ship.

"_I don't know. I think most of the life boats would have gotten away from the ship so they wouldn't be overrun from people like us. I doubt I can get that far in this state without a life jacket_."

"_Well let's try at least. I can see pretty well in the dark, and I think I can hear something somewhere up ahead. Let's just keep going_."

The pair continued to swim into the darkness. Before it had been painful to move through the frigid water, but now Ben could feel himself growing numb. He was still shaking, but he had long since lost all feeling in his extremities. The water was flat and reflective, showing the stars now that they were always from the light pollution. The light was gone, but the sounds and cries carried easily over the water, chasing the boy and dog as they fled.

"_Ben, I can see something ahead of us_."

"_As long as it's not an iceberg_." Still, hope blossomed in the youth's chest. It was the only thing he had left.

"_I can see the outline now, it's… Ben, I don't believe it, it's the lifeboat form earlier! It's been over turned and I can see people on it_!"

The blue eyed boy began to swim faster, ignoring his tiredness, pain and discomfort. He still couldn't see the small craft, but he trusted his dog with his life. There was a chance that they would get out of this alive.

The lifeboat was further than Ben had thought it would be; the wave had apparently pushed it a hundred meters away where it had continued to drift until it was out of immediate sight. There were several men already lying on top of the overturned lifeboat; mostly complied of those who had helped free the craft in the first place. With more than a dozen men already perched precariously atop the rocking boat, there wasn't much room for any more stragglers.

"_See_? _I told you I'd get you out of this_."

"_I'm sorry I ever doubted you mate. Remind me never to do so again_."

"_Huh, I'm going to hold you to that. Sometime in the next century, I'm going to remind you and you're going to have to swallow whatever silly argument we're having and listen to me_."

"_I'm already regretting I said anything_."

Grabbing onto the side of the lifeboat, Ben tried unsuccessfully to haul himself up, only causing the boat to rock back and forth and to cause many of the men to swear at him in an assortment of languages that of course the boy understood. He fell back with a splash, feeling the need to let loose some obscenities himself. "_Ben, just so you know, there's no way I'm going to be able to climb on top of that thing_."

"What?" Stuttered Ben, abandoning his attempts at climbing aboard to stare at the dog incredulously. "_Have you lost your mind? If you think I'm leaving you for one second_…"

Ned cut him off briskly. "_In case you haven't noticed, there's barely any room on that thing for you let alone a big dog like me. I won't be able to hold on to either with my paws, and that would be if someone managed to drag me up there in the first place, which would probably knock someone off_."

Ben was shocked at the matter of fact tone of his dog; they were after all, discussing of separating. "_I didn't go through all that back there just to lose you again. We're staying together_!"

"_Quit being so thick headed_!" Ned argued back. "You aren't losing me. I wasn't kidding when I said that I could last longer than you in this water. _I found this lifeboat perfectly fine, and I'm sure the Angel will help me find another one, one that isn't capsized. I promise that I'll be fine_."

Ben was silent for a moment, staring into his dog's eyes, their argument now taking place on an entirely different field of existence. Boy and canine battled furiously, each sending feelings and raw emotions to the other, trying to make their argument valid. For several seconds it was as if both Eternals had stopped being their separate selves and merged into one coherent being. Then with reluctance both Ben and Ned slipped back into their respective minds. Ben was breathing heavily and a wave of weariness washed over him. He had lost the argument. Words did not need to be conveyed, not after what they had just gone through, but the strange boy felt the need to speak to his dog anyway.

"_I'll see you in a couple of hours alright Ned_?" he said, hugging the dog close to his body, awkwardly still treading water.

"_Of course! Tomorrow we're going to be rescued and warm and together, you'll see_."

Nodding and trying to show strength to his dog, the youth turned and once again tried to climb aboard the capsized vessel. This time two hands reached down and helped pull him up, telling the other men to move over a bit. The was grumbling and much rocking of the craft, but eventually Ben found himself curled up, packed in-between the men and looking at Ned's dark form blending into the darkness as he swam away.

Having said and felt everything left to be said or felt, he turned his head to look the other way. Ben watched the Titanic sink; one end growing higher and higher in the water. All at once the lights of the Titanic grew brighter in a sudden surge of power before suddenly going out, as if snuffed by Satan's breathe. With the light pollution gone, the occupants of the boat could actually see the huge ship's outline as it continued to sink into the waters. Finally, after what Ben though was possibly the most chaotic hour of his long life, he allowed the tears to flow from his sea colored eyes.

* * *

God, I'm a sucker for soppy endings. Next chapter we get a lot more input from Ben and the ship finally, FINALLY sinks.


	25. Chapter 25

It's been a while. In all honesty this story needs to be rewritten, but let's concentrate on finishing it first eh?

**Disclaimer** Insert comment about owning Castaways someday.

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Titanic

Chapter 25

Ben stared out to sea, knowing that this image of the _Titanic_ would be burned into his mind forever more. Even with the nightly light of the heavens giving him a view of the ship, the boy could no longer make out the people scrambling on deck. This did not stop the youth from imagining people falling from the deck and into the freezing waters below. Unless another ship approached soon, or a lifeboat went back to pick up those already in the water, there would be no survival among them. As for his own predicament, he wasn't too much better off. The chances of him freezing to death were still great. His clothes would not dry now, but freeze with ice.

The boy felt his body convulse with the idea of so much human life lost, and he retched violently. A bit of sea water was all that came up and behind him Ben felt someone pat his back awkwardly. With a bitter taste now in his mouth, he averted his eyes from the sinking ship until he heard and terrible groaning noise that drowned out the screams and shouts. The Eternal watched with a sense of horrified fascination as the ship of dreams began to bend before snapping in two.

The raised half of the ship that still had people on it slammed back into the water, most likely crushing dozens below. Even shocked, Ben's knowledge of ships still seemed to relay information to a conscious part of his brain. The ship had most likely not been severed completely, but simply enough to release the strain and pressure. The half of the ship that was now underwater would now drag down the still dry half, much faster than it had before.

The _Titanic_ once more began to rise. Within the minute it was floating straight up; bobbing like a cork. Ben winced as he saw a dark shape fall from the top of the ship and unluckily hit the back of one of the propeller. At a ninety degree angle, the ship once again began to sink. Unable to stop staring, the youth found himself keeping a silent countdown until the ship would sink. At zero the unsinkable ship slipped beneath the waters, never to be seen again. All that was left of the ship of dreams were a collection of floating debris and hundreds of thrashing people fighting amongst themselves for survival.

The small craft drifted away from the single most devastating sinking in nautical history. Over a dozen people had made their way towards Collapsible B. Every time someone moved, the entire structure would rock crazily until everyone moved to balance it out. A couple of times a person managed to swim out as far as they had floated. They would try and climb aboard, but every time that person had spent too much time in the water and had been unable to climb aboard without help. And no help came. The men would ignore their pleas for help. With the arrival of Ben, the overturned lifeboat had taken as many passengers as it could hold. Any more would knock them all off. Eventually the survivor would turn and swim away…or either sink beneath the waters.

After an hour, the screams finally died down. It had taken much longer than Ben would have thought. The sound had dwindled from shouts to murmurs to whispers, until no sound floated across the waters. To Ben, the silence was a hundred times worse, because he knew what that silence meant. From that point on, the only noise he heard was from the men that surrounded him. He wondered if any lifeboats had gone back to rescue anyone. He hoped that Ned was safe, although he was sure that even though he couldn't hear the dog's thoughts, he would know if his friend was gone for good. No, Ned had proved time and again that he was a survivor. They both were.

Slowly, so as not to wake the sleeping man who was breathing just as slowly beside him, and to not shake the boat, Ben felt along his hairline and eyebrows. Just as he had expected, he found ice chips in them. With lack a better thing to do, he chipped a bit of the ice away and watched as it rolled off the side of the craft. With the sea as smooth as glass, he could just see his reflection if he craned his neck far enough out. Just as he had expected, his skin was as white as paper and the rest of his hair was coated in ice.

Tearing his gaze away, the Eternal noticed something had changed among the passengers of the lifeboat. It took several minutes of floating before Ben finally realized that the man who had been sleeping beside him had stopped breathing. The strange boy found himself unable to look away from the dead man who had just been alive moments ago. Ben had never been afraid of the dead, and he wasn't afraid now. Only surprised that death could have happened so quietly to as not alert him immediately.

He continued to stare until finally someone else noticed the dead man. With quiet voices and a muttered prayer, one of the men pushed the frozen body overboard. They all held on as the boat rocked. The body meanwhile slipped into the water with a splash, its life jacket still keeping it afloat. The silence resumed.

* * *

Ben fought to keep his eyes open. He had no idea how much time had passed since the ship had gone down, but he knew that dawn couldn't be too far off. He was bone tired and the urge to give in and let his battered body rest was great. The idea of falling asleep scared him though; the possibility that he would freeze to death in his sleep was a real one. The youth no longer felt the cold; just a numbness that was somehow even worse.

Gradually, so slowly that he did not even notice, Ben began to drift into a doze. His mind began to wander over the events of the pass couple of days. It was strange, reliving his life. Details that he hadn't noticed before now stood out like a sore thumb. What was even stranger was now the events were happening in reverse. The last twenty-four hours flew through his mind, then the day before and the day before that one.

A month. A year. A decade. Centuries of memories replayed themselves; both the good and terrible times he and Ned had endured. Some things he had forgotten and others he had tried to forget. The only thing constant throughout the years was Ned by his side, never leaving him. Together they survived anything that was thrown at them.

The memories made a story, and now he had reached its end. As the Angle descended from the heavens, Ben's vision began to be blotted out by an ever increasing bright light. _Is this that white light at the end of the tunnel_?

* * *

Ben opened his eyes only to be met with pain. He blinked several times before he realized that he was staring directly into the rising sun. Hurriedly he averted his gaze, although it was several seconds until his vision cleared itself from an array of dancing spots. Once he had recovered, his aged eyes saw a sight that even he had not yet seen before.

The newly risen sun shone its light across the great expanse of sea. Dotted among the water were icebergs. The large chunks of ice shined different colors as the sun's slight reflected off of them. Pink, yellow, orange, blue and gray. He wondered what it would have been like to wake up on a normal day and see this sight, completely free or worries and traveling towards a new adventure. The air was filled with rainbows and a white light that would soon disappear as the sun gathered height. It was a sight that was beautiful, and yet these wondrous creations had caused the deaths of so many.

Moving his frozen body was difficult. His fingers seemed permanently stuck in a curved position from where he had been holding on to the side of the boat. His clothes were also frozen to the craft. Wincing as he forced his fingers to move, he rubbed them together and breathed on them in order to get some of the blow flowing back into them.

Propping himself up on his elbows, Ben surveyed his surroundings. The ocean was no longer as smooth as glass. Waves slapped along the overturned craft and suddenly Ben was glad that his clothes were stuck to the boat. Instead of its dark bluish black from the previous night, the sea was now gray and the waters were much choppier. As the youth counted the small craft's occupants, he realized that sometime while he was asleep two more men must have died. Vaguely he wondered if either of them had had families that had survived. Or had they been traveling alone? Or together?

Pushing the morbid thoughts to another corner of his mind, he of course began to worry about Ned, and then about himself. How far had they drifted away from where the ship went down? Now that it was light he couldn't see any other life boats. Even if a ship came to pick up the survivors, would they be found? The only reassurance he felt was when he spotted a floating deck chair a small distance away. Surely they weren't too far from the others.

Judging from the distance the sun had traveled since he had awoken; an hour went by before anything of interest happened. The men were mostly silent except for the occasion hushed whisperings. Suddenly a grubby looking man tried to stand up, holding onto the others to try and steady himself. The man began babbling in French and Ben was quick to translate to the others that the man said he had sighted a ship. Everyone wanted to try and get a better look, but soon the group realized that in doing so nearly capsized them every time. They took it in turns, each person rising up a bit to try and see their rescue. When it was Ben's turn he finally saw an outline of a large steamship.

Once everyone was settled back down, someone produced a whistle from his coat pocket and occasionally would blow into it. The ship was still some distance away, but Ben knew without a doubt that if they could see the ship, that the ship could see them. Someone would be scanning the seas with a telescope. They would be rescued.

They would be saved.

* * *

Okay, one more chapter and an epilogue. Now that I think about it, I might do another short oneshot about what Ben does directly after this story. I know anyone reading this just rolled their eyes and said, "Yeah, sure you will," but I still have lots planned for Ben and Ned. I won't discuss those ideas now, but will save them for when this story is finished. I don't believe I will write another Castaways that will be quite this long for a very long time, but I do have loads of short things planned.

As always, Reviews are welcomed.


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